Counting Down
by JazziePerson
Summary: Something big comes from a tiny rift flare and rips apart the lives of what is left of the Torchwood Team. Post Series 2. Rated T for language. Please review.
1. Taking a Break

Author's Note: So, I am going to be very evil and upload this before I go on holiday so all of you peeps will have to wait a week and a half or so before I get to do the second bit!! I am so mean! Muahahaha. Now, on with the usual drill. This is set after series 2 but before CoE. I don't own Jack, Ianto, Gwen or Torchwood. There we go. Meh.

Chapter 1

Gwen took a sip of her coffee before looking up at her computer monitor. From what she could tell, it was detecting a small amount of Rift energy, coming from somewhere near the city centre. It was minute; was it big enough to be a threat?

Gwen sighed and stood up, making her way to Jack's office. She knocked out of habit and on his call, entered quickly. Jack was sat with his feet up on the desk, reading a set of stapled papers.

"Jack?"

"Uh-huh?" Jack replied, his eyes not leaving the papers.

"There's a tiny rift reading in the centre of town. I'll deal with it. Okay?" She had a feeling that she could tell him that she was about to ride Myfanwy and he would probably agree with her.

"Yes, that's fine. Have fun." Jack waved his hand at her, actively dismissing her.

Gwen rolled her eyes and smiled to herself before leaving the office. She'd just closed the door behind her when she saw Ianto at the coffee machine.

"Hey, Ianto!" she called across the Hub. "I'm going to check out a rift reading in town. See you later."

In reply, Ianto just tossed her the keys to the SUV. She caught them and grabbing her coat, exited the Hub.

* * *

Although she loved working at Torchwood, sometimes it became a bit oppressive, Gwen thought to herself as she turned on the ignition. Everything crowded up in her brain and it became hard to think. It was at those times that she liked to do some of the work by herself.

She drove swiftly towards the city centre. She had no idea what she was looking for but from the information the computer read out to her, whatever was giving out the signal seemed not to be alive, moving or big enough to be a threat to any normal person should they not get too close.

* * *

It wasn't long before she was driving into the car park. She flashed her ID at the attendant at the ticket window and he waved her on with a raised eyebrow. Gwen smiled as she wondered what was going on in his head as he saw a Torchwood Officer driving into the City Centre Car Park.

She parked the SUV on the right floor and began to look around. It was eleven o'clock on a Tuesday morning, which meant that there wasn't many people around. There were a few cars and from what Gwen could see, nothing remotely alien looking. She ran towards the only two cars and bent down to look underneath them. Nothing.

Glancing at her watch, Gwen realised that it had been a good twenty minutes since the Rift alert had come through so if it was alive, her target would be long gone by now. But if it wasn't alive then it should of course still be there.

Gwen looked around. She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Then she stopped and listened. There. There it was.

_Tick. Tick. Tick._

Gwen froze.

_Tick. Tick. Tick._

Time had to be running out if the sound was what Gwen thought it was. She blinked and took a quick breath before running silently towards the source of the sound. Quickly, she traced it to the drain behind one of the cars. She peered down into the hole and saw bright red LED lights.

"Shit."

Please Review :]


	2. Conscious of Time

Author's Note: Okay, I am feeling generous. I will give you another chapter and if I get up to 15 reviews, I will release the next bit so get your friends to read and review. Also, I apologise *cough*not*cough* for the evil cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter. Get this one though. And if I get those reviews, I will update before I go away!! Muahaha. Bribery! So get to it!

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Chapter 2

Gwen clicked on her comm. and waited frantically for Jack or Ianto to pick up the call. She didn't have to wait long. This was really the first bomb she'd had to deal with. She'd had to work through the consequences when John had tried to blow up half of Cardiff but this was different. It was in her hands to stop it and she had no idea what to do.

"Gwen, this better not take long because I _still_ have UNIT on the phone," Jack snapped, his voice was stressed and edgy.

"Jack!" Gwen gasped. She'd never been so pleased to hear his voice. She could feel the hysteria rising in her throat. She swallowed it back.

"Gwen?" Jack's irritation disappeared instantly. "Gwen? What's going on?"

"Jack! It's a bomb. I don't know what it will do but it's counting down! Jack, I don't know what to do!" Gwen tried to breathe deeply and keep calm.

"Hey, Gwen, calm down. How big is it?" Jack questioned steadily.

"I can't see. It's down the drains at the back of the car park. I don't think I can get it out," Gwen swallowed thickly. "Jack, there must be at least two hundred people in this car park. I saw loads of cars on the way up. We've got to get them out!"

"Okay, how long have you got?" Jack asked.

Gwen froze again. "I… I don't know. I… I… did… didn't look," she stuttered, the fear taking over again.

"Gwen, calm down! Keep calm. Look at the numbers on the bomb and tell me how long you've got left!" Jack ordered.

Gwen crawled closer to the hole in the drains again and looked down. The numbers were easy to make out in the dim light.

She had exactly twenty seconds.

"Twenty seconds, Jack," she murmured.

There was silence on the end of the line for a few moments. Then she heard Jack take a few deep breaths. "Okay, Gwen, can you see any of the surface of the bomb?"

"No, it's too dark down the drain," Gwen replied.

"Can you feel anything? Hear anything?"

"It's too far down but I can hear rushing water. It must be the drains. If it goes off, it's gonna blast the drainage system apart." Gwen winced at the thought.

"You have to find a fire alarm. Smash it, get everyone out and then get the hell out yourself." Jack instructed.

Gwen glanced at the timer again and made a dash for the nearest fire alarm. She slammed her elbow into it and the glass shattered. A wailing bounced around the building and Gwen flinched at the loud noise.

"Gwen! Get out!" Jack shouted so that she could hear him over the siren.

Gwen ran back towards the exit. But she had to pass the bomb again to get there. And she had less than five seconds to do it. She ran, her legs getting ahead of her body. She was nearly at the bomb, nearly there. She was level with it. She was nearly passed it.

Then the explosion hit. And the lights went out.

-----

Aren't I just so mean?! =]


	3. What to Find

Author's Note: Okay, I have got my fifteen reviews so here you are. The result of the last cliff hanger. But now, I want ten more reviews, so up to 25 reviews before I release the next chapter. If I get them before I go away then yay but if not, you'll have to wait a week and a half! Ha!

Chapter 3

Jack heard the explosion and then the static crackled in his ear. He threw the communicator onto the desk in frustration and jumped up, hanging up on the UNIT Officer without saying goodbye. On a second thought, he grabbed the communicator again and raced out into the main area of the Hub.

"Ianto! Ianto, where are you?" he yelled. His voice echoed; it was an odd detail to remember when his friend's life was in danger.

Ianto appeared at the bottom of the stairs and stared up at Jack, worried and confused in the face of Jack's harsh manner. "Jack, what's going on?"

"It's Gwen. What she had detected was a bomb in the City Centre. It's just gone off. We have to get there now." Jack instructed.

Ianto nodded. "And Gwen would have the SUV," he muttered and Jack managed a small, tight smile.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Jack and Ianto arrived in the City Centre, having had to walk the entire way. The atmosphere was tense and they hadn't spoken much on the walk, or more accurately, the run there.

Police were crowding around the entrance and ambulances were parked haphazardly in the road. Sirens blared and people rushed around, shouting and crying. Jack's lips were beginning to disappear as he got tenser so Ianto flashed his ID and he and Jack were let straight into the devastated car park. They didn't wait for their accompanying officer; they just began sprinting towards the stairs.

As they ran up them, they noticed how badly damaged the concrete was. Jack knew from the Rift reading that the signal was on one of the top floors so it had to have been a pretty incredible blast to damage the building this far down. It sent shivers up and down his spine.

* * *

It took ages to get to the floor they wanted and by the time they got there, both Jack and Ianto were badly out of breath and sweating. About half way up, Ianto noticed the water dripping down the stairs and pointed it out to Jack.

"Gwen said it was in the drain. The system must've been blown up." Jack was starting to feel nauseous. If the damage to the building was this bad, what on Earth would have happened to Gwen?

"Jack?" Ianto prompted. They had stopped at the fourteenth floor door.

Jack shuddered and swallowed, before pushing the door open. Water sloshed over his shoes as he did so and he looked up to see the wreckage.

The place was a wreck. There was three inches of water covering the ground and slabs of brick work and concrete looked like islands in the sea of drain water. Broken glass sparkled in the dim light.

"Jack!" Ianto pointed across the room.

Jack followed his finger and saw the remains of a car lying on its back. It was at an angle, suggesting that something was underneath it. It could've been more rubble but Jack didn't think so.

He dashed across the room, splashing water as he ran. Ianto was right behind him, although stopping to wedge the door open so the water started to flow away.

Jack splashed to his knees beside the car and reached under it. He felt underneath the water and his fingers touched fabric. That was enough evidence for him.

"Ianto! She's under here!" he yelled. "We've got to get this car off her!" He began pushing the car with all his strength.

Ianto joined him and they heaved it back a bit. Another haul and it was pushed right off. Jack looked down at the body, breathing heavily. Then he felt his heart stop.

Gwen was lying on her side with her left arm and shoulder crushed under her. Her face was concealed by a sweep of her hair with was soaked through. Her right hand lay next to her head. Rubble covered her legs but Jack could see already that they were at a weird angle. And the thing that scared Jack the most was the fact that Gwen's back was bent. He didn't think it looked broken, well, he hoped. But it did look wrong.

He couldn't move. His eyes were frozen with terror. He couldn't even brush the hair out of her face.

"Jack?" Ianto put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Jack. We have to help her." He slapped Jack gently to try and snap him out of it but his words had more effect.

Jack reached carefully towards Gwen and gently scraped the hair out of her eyes. Immediately, he saw that half of Gwen's face was under the water.

"Shit." What he desperately wanted to do was jerk Gwen out of the danger but he knew that if he did that, he could hurt Gwen more than she was already. So, very carefully, he took her face in both hands and gently twisted her so that her face was above the water. Water dribbled out of her half open mouth.

"Oh, God," Ianto murmured.

"Ianto, can you get all the crap off her legs?"

Ianto nodded and moved to Gwen legs. He scrabbled at the concrete and began pulling it off.

Jack looked at Gwen's face. She had a deep gash down the side of her face and blood was leaking out of it. He reached for her throat and pressed his fingers against her neck. He couldn't feel anything.

"Shit, Ianto. There's no pulse!" Jack didn't wait for Ianto to finish clearing the rubble. He knew he shouldn't move her but if he could save her, was it worth more damage? He didn't know so he rolled Gwen carefully onto her back and began to perform compressions. He didn't know how long Gwen hadn't had a heart beat; all he knew was that if it was longer than four minutes there was little he could do, and if it was longer than seven minutes, there was no hope at all.


	4. Conversations and Clichés

Author's Note: Oh my god, I love you guys. I actually do. You've managed to get now four chapters when I originally I was only going to post one. Well done, you're all stars! So here is chapter 4, ending with ANOTHER cliffhanger. Hehe. Aren't I so mean? So, because we got to 27, I think I'll let you strive to 35. I'm being nice here. I could've said 40. So, I will be able to get on a computer tomorrow but that's it until next Saturday! Good luck guys!

Chapter 4

It had been well over a minute and nothing had happened. Ianto had stilled in his mission to clear the rubble and was watching Jack helplessly. But Jack was still going tirelessly, trying desperately to bring Gwen back. Ianto didn't want to say anything. He couldn't have anyway; he couldn't admit that he thought Gwen was dead.

Jack seemed to be thinking something along the same lines because suddenly he let out a roar of frustrations and his compressions became stronger. There was a loud snap, followed by another and Ianto suspected that it was Gwen's ribs breaking as Jack tried desperately to bring her back to life. There was another crack and then a weak spluttering.

Ianto stared at Gwen in disbelief. Her throat was moving as though she was trying to cough.

"Jack!" He cried and pushed Jack away from Gwen to stop him hurting her now that she was awake. "Jack, stop."

Jack looked up and then followed Ianto's gaze to Gwen's face. His eyes widened with relief. "Oh, Gwen!" He bent down and dropped a kiss on her forehead. He rested his hands on her cheeks.

"Jack?" Gwen's voice was raspy and she winced in agony as she spoke. Her right hand twitched before she brought it up slowly to touch Jack's hand.

Ianto was immediately back to yanking the rubble away.

"Hey, Gwen," Jack whispered to Gwen softly, using his thumbs to stroke her cheeks. "You silly thing, I told you to get out."

"I tried," Gwen inhaled sharply and then winced again. "Oh, it hurts Jack."

"What does?" Jack questioned methodically. He had to keep Gwen talking. Keep her thinking and fighting.

"My… everything. Shit, Jack, I can't feel my legs." Gwen's weak voice sounded panicked as the realisation hit her.

"Hey, hey. Keep calm. Ianto's getting the rubble off you. Then we'll get you an ambulance, okay? It'll be fine," Jack soothed.

"Ianto?" Gwen called feebly.

"Right here, Gwen. Don't worry. You'll be out in a minute," Ianto replied back to her calmly.

"Okay, Gwen. Think hard. What's the last thing that you remember?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. Jack, it hurts to breathe," Gwen gasped and her face contorted.

"I know, honey. It won't be long. I promise, you'll be out of here soon." Jack took her right hand. It hadn't escaped his notice that Gwen hadn't moved her left.

"Jack, my stomach hurts," she whimpered.

Jack looked to her stomach. Her shirt was wet with blood. He closed his eyes for a second and reassembled his thoughts.

"I know, honey. We're nearly there." Jack stroked the hair off her face. "You know, that blast should've killed you…"

"It probably would've hurt less," Gwen mumbled.

Jack smiled a little. "Maybe. But you're missing my point. If you can survive that, you can hold on a bit longer. We're nearly there. You can do this."

"This sounds like a cliché but I'm really cold," Gwen whispered, her eyelids flickering.

"Didn't you hear anything I just said?" Jack said, a little more fiercely. "Please, Gwen, keep your eyes open."

"Yeah, Jack." Gwen made an effort, Jack could see that but her eyes remained closed.

"Gwen, tell me what happened before you opened your eyes?" Jack instructed.

"The signal was tiny; so small that I wouldn't have noticed it usually. But I like going out on my own. It clears my head. I remember the guy looked… bemused when I showed him my ID, like I was using it so I didn't have to pay to get in," Gwen smiled and Jack laughed. "It took me ages to find it. I called you straight away. You sounded stressed. UNIT not cooperating?"

"No, they weren't."

"I-″ Gwen began again but Ianto interrupted her.

"Jack, it's off."

"They won't be able to get an ambulance up here. I'll ring them downstairs." Jack decided and pulled out his phone. "Hello? Yes, I'm in the Car Park that… yes. I need to get paramedics up to the fourteenth floor… Yes… I need them up here… If you don't get them up here, I will have you on probation, have you got that? Yes, I can do that. I am Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood. So yes, I can do that… Thank you." Jack hung up rather forcefully.

Gwen laughed weakly and winced.

"They'll be here in a few minutes. They can only bring an ambulance up so far so they'll bring a stretcher from there." Jack informed them.

Ianto moved to kneel next to him. Most of the water had drained away by now.

"Jack?" Gwen's voice was faint.

"Gwen, please stay awake."

"I'm trying. It's just…" Gwen trailed off. Her head relaxed sideways.

"Gwen?" Jack pressed his fingers against Gwen's cheek but she didn't respond. "She's unconscious again," he informed Ianto.


	5. Just Waiting

Author's Note: Okay, so here's the thing. I don't want to publish the entire story in one day. So, this will be the last one for today unless you can get the reviews up to 50. Tell friends, beta-readers, everyone, especially on fanfic. Also, it would be nice if you told me what you thought as well as asking me for an update or telling me how many reviews left. Thanks, Jaz x

Chapter 5

"We should wait for the paramedics," Ianto instructed quietly.

"What if Gwen hasn't got that long?" Jack asked. He swallowed.

"We should stop the bleeding," Ianto pointed out and silently, the two men got to work. They managed to stop the bleeding on Gwen's head and Jack was holding a wad of fabric ripped from his shirt against the stomach wound when three paramedics ran up the slope that adjoined the two floors.

Two of them, a man and a woman carefully loaded Gwen onto a stretcher while the third talked to Jack and Ianto. Ianto told the guy everything that had happened since they'd arrived while Jack stared silently at Gwen.

When the questions finally finished, Gwen was carried away. Jack and Ianto stood frozen for a second before they hurried after them. Jack was in no mood to be left behind and Ianto wasn't far behind him. Gwen needed them. There wasn't a single thing that could stop them going with her.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Jack, Ianto, Gwen and the three paramedics were squeezed into the ambulance and speeding towards the hospital. Jack and Ianto were in the back with Gwen and the female paramedic who had loaded Gwen and the two men were in the front.

Gwen had an oxygen mask across her face and she was breathing but only shallowly. The gash on her forehead had been treated but the rest apparently needed surgery for correction. But then there was something that made Jack's mind freeze.

Something had happened to her back. They said they weren't at liberty to tell Jack whether it was broken or not but Jack had a horrible feeling that it was.

Gwen's skin was almost grey now and she hadn't gained consciousness again. Ianto could see Jack going crazy inside his head.

* * *

As soon as they arrived in the hospital, Gwen was wheeled away before Jack or Ianto could even find out where they were taking her. Ianto asked at reception but they were told only that she had gone into surgery and that they should wait in the room down the hall. They did so reluctantly and while Ianto sat, going through his thoughts silently, Jack paced, shouting and raging at himself for letting Gwen go alone. He kicked the hard sofas and punched the walls, screaming and shouting. A nurse came into the room at one point to find out what was going on but retreated quickly when Ianto explained what had happened and assured her that Torchwood would pay for any required repairs. Jack barely seemed to notice.

* * *

Five hours later, a nurse knocked timidly on the door of their waiting room.

"Come in," Ianto called, his eyes on Jack's stiff body. About an hour ago, he'd slumped onto the sofa, rested his head in his hands and he hadn't moved since.

The door opened and a small woman with olive skin and brown hair stood in the doorway. "Gwen Cooper has just come out of surgery."

Ianto stood up but he heard the words he was thinking before he'd opened his mouth.

"Can we see her?" Jack asked, snapped out of his trance. He was already on his feet and in front of Ianto.

"Not yet I'm afraid. You'll have to talk to the doctor first. Then maybe," the woman told them. Jack noticed that her fingers were twisting together anxiously.

"Then where is the doctor? I want to talk to him," Jack demanded.

"This way, sir."

"Captain," Jack corrected out of habit.


	6. Reporting Back

Author's Note: So, I am obviously back from my holiday and it was seriously good, if a little wet. Well, all you lovely people, you got 52 reviews so I am now thinking that you need to get to 65. But please can you actually say what you think about the chapter in you reviews, instead of something like 'three more to go!'. Thanks people. This had a lot of research put into it so please, review!

Chapter 6

The doctor was in his office when the nurse dropped Jack and Ianto at the door. Ianto raised his hand to knock but Jack pushed it open before he could. He barged in and sat down in front of the doctor's desk.

"I'm sorry, sir?" The doctor looked quite confused and angry by Jack's impolite entry.

Ianto shot him an apologetic look.

"My friend, Gwen Cooper, was just operated on. I want to know how she is and when I can see her," Jack told the man straight.

"Gwen Cooper," the doctor said thoughtfully.

"I'm her boss," Jack interjected.

"She's a fighter, I can tell you that for certain. She was almost dead when she came into surgery. Her left shoulder and elbow were shattered from the impact with the concrete. Because of how close she was to the actual explosion, her ears have been damaged. Nothing permanent. But she shouldn't travel by plane or be around loud noises for a while as it could cause permanent deafness. The gash to her head needed five stitches and they'll need to be taken out in three weeks time. The wound in her stomach was much worse. A fragment of metal from the car was lodged in deep and took seventeen stitches after there was rather a lot of internal bleeding. Also, six of her ribs were broken, apparently from chest compressions which suggests she stopped breathing for a time. From a scan we can see she was 'dead' for approximately three minutes so luckily, not too much damage was done. Her ribs have been set but she may be in pain for a while. Of course, she's battered all over; there was a severe head trauma and there may be some amnesia…"

Jack had had enough. "What is wrong with her back?"

"How did you know about that?" the doctor asked, the suspicion in his voice rising.

"She was complaining about it before she fell unconscious, that's how," Jack snapped.

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you that Miss Cooper's spine has been damaged although _not_ broken." The doctor blinked seriously when the relief showed on Jack's face. "Although her spine has not been broken, which is a miracle in itself, there was some nerve damage."

Jack stopped in shock. "So?"

"So, Miss Cooper has suffered a paralysis to her right leg," the doctor finally said, hating to be the bearer of bad news.

Jack thought momentarily that he was going to throw up. "Can you do anything for her?"

"For the moment, while she recovering from the other injuries, it would be best to leave it but as soon as she's deemed fit on those fronts, she will probably need twelve months of intensive physical therapy to regain use of it," the doctor finished.

"So, she could recover?" Jack asked, hoping desperately that he had heard right.

"Yes, with time and patience, she should heal," the doctor smiled a little. "Of course, she's not out of the woods yet – she still has a long way to recovery, and I can make no guarantee that she will recover, or indeed regain the use of her leg."

"Can we see her?" This time, Ianto got there first.

"She's not awake yet and she's in ICU but I don't see why not. You should know that she did stop breathing by herself so she's on oxygen." The doctor smiled at Jack and Ianto's relief. "I'll take you there myself; I need to check on her."

* * *

It was only a short walk to the ICU but both Jack and Ianto realised how exhausted they were. They had had to run to the Car Park and run up all the stairs to the fourteenth floor and now, after five hours of tense waiting, both men were shattered.

They turned into the ICU and were asked to surrender all weapons. Jack flashed his ID in the security guard's face and they were told to continue. They ducked through the doors and were led into a single ward, off the main unit. The three men entered and Jack and Ianto got their first glimpse of their injured colleague.

Gwen lay in the bed, her arms over the sheets and her face turned to the ceiling. Her left arm was swathed in bandages and her hands were nicked all over. The gash on her face was stitched up with huge black stitches and she had an oxygen mask over her face. The rest of her injuries had been concealed from their view. Wires surrounded her, attaching her to various machines which bleeped steadily and reassuringly.

The doctor went about checking through Gwen's stats while Jack and Ianto stood frozen in the doorway, staring at their friend.

The doctor was only there for a few minutes before he stopped writing things on his clipboard. He smiled wearily.

"I'll leave you with her. She should be coming out of it soon, but she'll be a bit drowsy." He touched Jack on the shoulder before he left.

As soon as the door closed, Jack and Ianto were at Gwen's bedside. Jack brushed her hair out of her closed eyes with a careful finger and Ianto took her right hand, squeezing it tight.

"Oh, Gwen," Jack murmured. "I'm sorry."

Ianto watched as Jack brushed his fingers softly against Gwen's forehead, willing her to wake up. He was so gentle but Ianto could see how torn up inside he was. What Jack really wanted to do was hug Gwen so hard that he never had to let go. He wanted to scream and shout and rage. But he couldn't.


	7. Eyes Open

Author's Note: Finally! I've been waiting to get the reviews to upload this chapter. So, anyway, I hope you like it. Please review.

Chapter 7

It was two in the morning. Ianto had been persuaded to borrow a bed from the hospital but Jack had refused. He didn't need to sleep and he wouldn't have anyway. Gwen was his priority.

The two men had stayed with Gwen until nine; they'd sat there for four hours before Jack could get Ianto to go to bed. And anyway, he needed some time alone. They both did.

Gwen still hadn't woken up and Jack was beginning to worry. The doctors said it wasn't uncommon for a patient to sleep for longer after such extensive surgery but Jack was still worrying. He also felt deeply guilty. He had sent Gwen out alone but then he had also put her in pain when he had resuscitated her, breaking six ribs. He had done that. And now Gwen was going to be in and out of hospital for over a year. This was all his fault.

"I'm sorry, Gwen. I am, I'm so sorry." Jack put his head down on the mattress, not letting go of Gwen's right hand.

"What are you sorry about this time?" Gwen's voice was almost inaudible.

"Gwen?" Jack gasped.

"Who else is it gonna be?" Gwen's voice was a little stronger but still faint.

Jack smiled. So the blast hadn't damaged her sense of humour.

Her eyes flickered open and she stared up at Jack with a weak smile on her lips.

"I am so pleased to see those eyes again," Jack whispered.

"Really? Just my eyes? Don't you like the rest of me?" Gwen smiled dryly.

"Funny." Jack rested a hand on her cheek. "But I've been sitting beside the rest of you for at least seven hours so it's nice to see something refreshingly new." Jack had forgotten how effortless it was to be around Gwen. He'd almost forgotten about how guilty and angry he felt. Almost.

"Seven hours?" Gwen asked, confused. "What the hell? What's going on?"

"You're in hospital. Remember the bomb?" Jack swallowed thickly, not for the first time in the last couple of hours.

Gwen winced visibly. "What happened? Jack! Why can't I feel my leg?!"

"Gwen!" Jack said, his voice filled with authority. "Stop! Calm down. Everything is fine. You are going to be fine."

"Doesn't feel like that to me," Gwen murmured.

"I know. And it won't for a while."

"Jack!" Gwen protested, if only weakly. "Why are you being so cryptic? Why won't you tell me what happened?"

Jack stared into those wide, hurt eyes and he couldn't tell her what had happened. He couldn't do that to her. So he took the coward's way out.

"Sleep now. The doctor will tell you everything in the morning. I promise." Jack hushed her gently.

Gwen looked at Jack. She looked at him in the way which always made Jack think she was reading his thoughts. He thought purposely about something off topic, just in case.

"Okay," Gwen conceded finally. "But, you promise you'll tell me in the morning?"

"I promise." Jack emphasised his words to prove his point.

"Thanks, Jack," Gwen smiled a little.

Jack noticed that she still looked a little grey. "Now, get some sleep."

"Yes, Dad." Gwen mumbled as she closed her eyes.

Jack smiled and shifted in his seat.

Gwen's eyes flew open immediately flew open and she attempted to sit up. She gasped and crumpled. Jack stood up and pushed her gently back onto the bed. He kept his hands on her arms.

"What was that?" he asked fiercely, his anger covering his protectiveness of her.

"I didn't want you to go," Gwen whimpered. There were tears in her eyes.

"Gwen, I'm not going anywhere. Not ever. I am never leaving you alone again. Understand?" Jack's eyes were sincere.

Gwen nodded.

"Now, close your eyes again and get some rest. I'm not going to leave you," Jack promised and Gwen smiled, closing her eyes.

Jack rested his hand on her cheek and stroked a repetitive rhythm on her cheek. She smiled and it wasn't long before she was asleep.


	8. How it is

Author's Note: I don't feel like writing much. Anyway, I've just got back from Cardiff and I went and saw where the Tourist Information Office was. It was covered in flowers and cards and coffee for Ianto. So I'm feeling sad. Please review, it will make me happy again.

And yeah, I don't own the characters.

Chapter 8

Jack hadn't moved for five hours. A doctor had come in at seven o'clock. Jack hadn't moved from his position since Gwen had fallen asleep. He explained what had happened at two o'clock and the doctor smiled and told him how important he and Ianto were going to be in Gwen's recovery. Jack wanted to tell him that really, it was his fault that Gwen was there but he bit his tongue and asked the question he was so afraid of.

"How do you think she'll take it when she finds out how bad it all is?" The words tasted sour in his mouth.

"Every patient reacts differently. But I should think she'll be okay. She got through the actual blast. But it would be good if we all kept an eye on her to make sure she doesn't… You know what I mean," the doctor smiled understandingly.

Jack didn't have a clue what he was talking about but he didn't ask. He just nodded.

Just then, Gwen stirred and turned over in her light sleep. She rolled onto her heavily bandaged left shoulder and winced deeply. Her eyes flickered open.

"Jack?" she murmured.

"Hello, sweetheart," Jack smiled and stroked her cheek.

"You promised." Her eyes were serious.

"Yes, I did," Jack nodded stiffly and turned to the doctor. "This is Dr Jacobs; he'll explain it better than I will." He watched as Gwen's eyes lingered worriedly on his face before they switched to the doctor's.

"Hello, Miss Cooper." The doctor smiled reassuringly but Gwen didn't look convinced as when she interrupted, her voice shook a little.

"Please, Gwen. Not Miss Cooper." Her smile seemed a little shaky.

"Very well, Gwen. So, I explained all of this to Jack yesterday after you came out of surgery." He looked down at his clipboard and seemed to read a few notes. "Your left shoulder and elbow were shattered from when you hit the ground but they have been set. Because you were so close to the explosion, your ears have been damaged but it shouldn't be permanent. You shouldn't be around loud noises or travel by plane for the moment as it could potentially cause permanent damage. The gashes on your head and stomach required stitches that will need to be taken out manually. Six of your ribs were broken when chest compressions were attempted which suggests that you had stopped breathing for a time. But, from that, there is no apparent damage to your other organs." Gwen glanced at Jack as the doctor checked his notes again. "There was also a severe head trauma, but the most significant of your injuries was..."

Gwen looked at Jack in panic and he squeezed her hand.

"Some of the nerves in your back have been damaged so there is a paralysis in your right leg."

Gwen's eyes went blank.

"It is fairly likely that you will recover almost fully, as the nerves were not severely damaged enough to cause permanent paralysis, but you will need twelve months of fairly intensive physical therapy. You should be able to return to work in about fourteen months." Doctor Jacobs smiled understandingly and left the room. It was probably a wise choice.

Gwen looked up at Jack, her eyes filling with tears. "This is what happens when this job goes wrong," she whispered and burst into sobs.

Jack wrapped his arms around her and held her tight as she sobbed, mourning what had happened.


	9. Belief

Author's Note: So, sorry that there hasn't been an update for a while but I've been away for a while. So, I am very happy because I got an A on my French exam!! So, yes, reviews would make me even happier. I don't own Torchwood or any of the characters. Meh.

Chapter 9

Ianto came in at about half ten, despite his usual energy and early risings. He supposed that the day before had really taken it out of him. He entered the private hospital room to see Jack with his arms around Gwen, holding her as she cried.

He stopped in the doorway, not wanting to intrude. But then Jack looked up and saw him. He jerked his head, indicating for him to come over. Ianto took the spare chair and sat down. Gwen apparently heard and looked up. Tears had stained her cheeks but she still smiled a little at seeing Ianto.

"Hey, Gwen." Ianto took Gwen's good hand and held it gently as she took a deep breath and tried to control her tears.

Over the top of her head, Jack mouthed: "she knows."

Ianto nodded.

* * *

It took a good ten minutes before Gwen sat back, wiping the back of her hand across her face. She looked exhausted already and her eyes were red from her tears.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"For what?" Jack asked.

"That."

"That's okay," Jack smiled.

"How you feeling?" Ianto asked her.

"Like I've been run over by a truck," Gwen said dully.

"You look beautiful," Jack smiled at her genuinely. For once, Jack Harkness wasn't flirting; he was just being a gentleman and trying to comfort her.

"Thanks, Jack, but I don't believe you," Gwen whispered before she closed her eyes.

Jack and Ianto could only share a glance over her. This was not good.


	10. Check Ups and Optimism

Author's Note: Okay, sorry it took so long. I sort of forgot that I was a Torchwood Obsessive because of the amount of homework and stuff. You know the score. So, by the way, next week I am going into hospital for an operation so reviews will make my week very happy.

So, here is this chapter and I want to tell everyone that I have officially finished writing Counting Down. So I am now just releasing the chapters. Also, I am working on a new story called When All Else Fails.

Chapter 10

Time passed without days for Gwen. Before she could fully understand it, a week had gone by and Jack and Ianto had had to return at least part time to the Hub. Usually one of them was with her but the times when they weren't were very dull. She found she longed to be back in the Hub, chasing weevils and sorting out the stuff that the Rift spewed out. But it would be a long time before she was doing that again.

She was checked on at least seventeen times a day, she reckoned. Sometimes, it was to check that her ribs were healing, another time it was to check her ears. Then it was about her leg and then her shoulder. She lost count after a while. To be honest, she was bored of being checked on. She wanted to prove that she was fine, even though she knew she wasn't. There was a possibility that she'd never walk perfectly again. That thought right there made her feel cold and sick.

Her crystal sharp memories of the blast were painful to replay sometimes. She could remember that terror when she'd opened her eyes to see Jack's shocked, white face. She could remember the numb panic when she realised she couldn't feel her legs. There was that grinding difficulty to breathing and her whole left arm had been numb but not in the nice, sleepy way, in the way that it felt like it was being crushed, like it didn't have enough space.

Then she could remember Jack arguing with the police or paramedic, whichever. The threat was sort of vague but she could remember trying to laugh, the pain and the surprised look on Jack's face. It was an odd point of the whole thing to remember.

What Gwen wanted, well, what she really wanted was for the bomb to never have come through the Rift. But she thought that was a pretty big want so she would've happily settled for being killed. It was true, no matter how much Jack would've been distressed by it. If she had been killed, she wouldn't be spending fourteen months in the hospital, she wouldn't be leaving Jack and Ianto to work alone without being able to hire someone else for fear of upsetting her, she wouldn't be struggling to see the bright side. All she could see was what was around her. A bleak hospital room, one leg damaged, possibly beyond repair and the prospect of never being the same again. She couldn't see anything good.

She really needed Jack to come in then and tell her about something funny that had happened in the Hub or something. She needed something that wasn't from within these four walls. It was driving her mad.

She wanted to scream. To be left alone. For someone to hug her and tell it would all be fine. For someone to wave the magic wand and make it all go back to the way it was before, before she lost Owen, Toshiko, before she lost Rhys and before she'd decided to go to that stupid car park. Why couldn't she get any of what she wanted? It really didn't seem fair.

For that moment, and that moment alone, she wished, she wished with all her heart, that she's never met Torchwood. That she'd never seen them resurrect that body in the rain.

But that thought didn't last long. She loved Torchwood and would never leave. She couldn't do it. It was all she had left, with Jack and Ianto. What would she do without them? What could she do without them? Not a lot, probably. She loved them with all her heart and she didn't think she would've missed any of it for anything. Even that blast. Something good would come of it. Something would. It had to.

Didn't it?


	11. Home

Author's Note: Please review this people. I had an operation on my mouth yesterday so I am very sore and quiet and reviews would make me very happy. Please!

Chapter 11

Fourteen months, almost to the day of the blast, later, the cog door rolled open and a familiar figure walked into the Hub, grinning like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. Gwen. She was home, in her eyes.

She grinned around at the stupidly huge cavern room and looked over to where Jack and Ianto were walking up from the cells. They were talking earnestly until Ianto looked up and saw Gwen standing there, leaning on the railing as though she'd never been gone. She smiled at his gawking expression.

Jack looked up then and adopted a similar expression to Ianto. Then he composed himself and grinned enthusiastically. "Gwen!" He bounded up the stairs towards her and wrapped her up in a hug that lifted her right off the ground.

"Whoa, Jack!" Gwen laughed. It felt good when it didn't hurt.

Jack laughed with her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his shoulder. It was too soon in her opinion when he landed her gently on the ground. She smiled up at him.

"Gwen!" Ianto joined them and drew her into a hug which she returned.

"It's good to see you two," Gwen smiled. She'd barely stopped smiling since she'd really got walking again.

"You're looking so much better." Jack was thrilled to see her back on her feet. It had been so long. And when she'd been in hospital, she'd had to have her hair cut short and now it was growing out again. She was starting to look more like _her_ again. The scars were still clearly visible on the side of her face and her shoulder. And her hands were still looking battered but none of it mattered anymore. They had seemed to fade into the background.

"Thanks." Gwen tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and it was true. It was almost as it she was glowing. Probably because she was so pleased to be back.

"I hope you don't mind, Gwen. I had to hire Martha to help us out until you got back. She's probably down in the autopsy bay so swing by, will you?" Jack patted her shoulder and grinned again, unable to control his excitement.

"Why would I mind?" Gwen asked, smiling. Oh God, it felt good to be back.

Jack just shook his head, still grinning like an idiot.

For a minute, they just stood there, smiling at each other. It felt like so long since they'd seen each other really. And Gwen supposed it had. They hadn't seen each other properly for fourteen months.

"You have been cleared to come back to work, haven't you?" Jack asked. "I do know that Dr Jacobs said _at least_ fourteen months."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Jack! You know I wouldn't push it. Well, I might but that's not the point. I have been cleared. All I have to do is take it easy if anything starts to hurt and I have to have painkillers on me at all times, just in case. Also, be careful about loud noises and flying, though it is not forbidden." Gwen rolled her eyes again.

Jack smiled. This was his Gwen back again.

"So, what's happened without me?" she asked, looking around to emphasise her point.

"Not a lot. You'd be surprised. Many, many more weevils. Space junk. The usual crap." Jack was grinning again at the possibility of having Gwen out on a weevil hunt again.

"Any boring reports for me to do?"

"No actually. It's amazing, isn't it?" Jack raised his eyebrows. "We finished it all so you wouldn't have to come back to paperwork."

"Sweet," Gwen adopted a silly, childish voice.

Jack punched her gently, mockingly.

"I'll go and see Martha," Gwen laughed.

Jack followed Gwen as she walked towards the autopsy bay. He really couldn't take it. There had been months of wheelchairs while her shoulder had healed, too slowly for all of them. Then there had been crutches and braces and casts but none of that had made a difference. So it was on to the physical therapy. Months and months and months of exercises and practice. Jack could still remember that agonized limp that had been her gait for so long. And now she was walking like the bomb had never come through the rift. It was amazing. Jack couldn't help but marvel at the human race; it really was remarkable.

He watched as the two women hugged and squealed. It was nice to watch. He had worried that this big change in Gwen's life would knock her down but he had been so wrong. If anything, she was better than ever. He was eager to see her out in the field and see her test herself. He wouldn't have to wait long.


	12. Back in Business

Author's Note: Hey guys. So I'm feeling pretty shit today so a couple of reviews would really do me good if you can spare a minute. Anyhow, a happy chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy it and I don't own any of the characters. Yet.

Chapter 12

It was so different having Gwen back in the Hub, Jack reflected. It seemed brighter and definitely happier. There was more talk too. Gwen had been interested in absolutely everything that had happened in her absence and Jack and Ianto were eager to tell her.

* * *

It was a Friday afternoon when a thought came to Jack.

"Gwen?" he called.

She looked up from her pile of paper. "Yeah, Jack?"

"Come with me." Technically, it was an order but he knew that Gwen would come with him if it was a request.

She smiled sardonically at him and then pressed a few keys on her keyboard, tidied the paper on her desk and then joined Jack by the Water Tower.

"Yes, Sir?" she smiled innocently and Jack laughed.

"Come with me," he repeated and turned to work out of the main area of the Hub.

She followed, smiling, wondering what he was up to.

* * *

A few minutes later, they arrived in the shooting range. Gwen looked at Jack with her eyebrows raised in confusion.

"I was thinking, if you're going to go out in the field again. You should just have another training session here, just in case you'd forgotten anything," Jack informed her.

She pretended to contemplate the idea. "I _haven't_ forgotten anything, but we'll play it your way. Better safe than sorry."

"We always do it my way," Jack grinned and Gwen swatted him.

He laughed.

She rolled her eyes. And then went to put on the goggles and ear muffs. "I always feel stupid in these," she grinned.

"Well, you don't look _too_ stupid," Jack pretended to consider her.

"Thanks!" Gwen said dryly. "Do you want me to do a twirl?"

"No, let's get on with the training," Jack said, businesslike again but Gwen could still see the laughter in his eyes.

"Okay. Let's do it." She picked up a hand gun and aimed it down the tunnel at the targets. Then she looked at Jack. "Are you going to re-teach me or what?"

"I want to see what you can do," Jack replied.

"Watch and learn then," Gwen grinned and focussed her attention back on the targets.

She then proceeded to fire, almost perfectly at all the targets with a series of different guns. She did two at once, from each hand and then walking.

When she was done, she turned to Jack. "So?"

"Impressive," Jack smiled, his head on one side.

"Really?"

"Yes, considering you've been living in a hospital for over a year." Jack said.

Gwen flinched a little. Remembering was still painful; the memories still a little raw.

"You okay?" Jack noticed Gwen's reaction.

"Yes, fine." She shook him off. "When can we go out again?"

Jack took a moment to recognise that she was talking about going out in the field. "As soon as we have an alert, I should think. But Gwen, promise me one thing?"

Gwen looked up at him, seriously. "Of course."

"Don't go off on your own yet. Please?"

"No, I won't. I don't think either of us could cope with that yet," Gwen smiled softly.

"No, I think you're right."


	13. Complications

Author's Note: Apologies for the long gap. I'll be better this time. Please review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or anything in it.

Chapter 13

The first alert that came through was only in the Bay but it was good enough for Gwen. They, they being Jack and Gwen, left the Hub and entered the Bay via the Invisible Lift. They were both armed but neither of them was too worried about what they were facing. Gwen was excited, jittery and tried to stay calm but in actual fact, she was a little scared. It had been so long since she'd last done any of this. Well, really the last time she'd gone out to investigate an unexplained Rift flare, she'd nearly been killed. She shivered; it was nothing to do with the cold night air. Jack put his hand gently on her shoulder.

Then they saw it: a weevil. They didn't need to shoot it but then, both of them saw the crumpled body about forty feet away. Gwen shuddered and Jack winced. It was not nice to die like that. So they had to kill the weevil. They couldn't let it hurt or kill someone else.

Jack and Gwen raised their guns simultaneously. Neither of them liked killing if they could help it, but they couldn't let someone else get hurt. It was against everything they stood for.

The pair raised their guns in unison and prepared to shoot the weevil. Jack looked over at Gwen and nodded to her. He was allowing her to have a go but telling her that he was there if she needed him. Weevils always needed more than one bullet, usually six. Gwen smiled at Jack and took a step forward.

The weevil raised its ugly head and bared it's teeth at Gwen. She didn't flinch. She cocked her gun and fired. And then she fired again.

At first, Jack didn't notice anything but by the third shot, he saw that Gwen was wincing at the loud noise. At the fourth shot, she let the gun fall from her hands and she dropped to her knees, her hands over her ears and her face screwed up in pain.

"Gwen?" Jack wanted to know what was happening but he still had a weevil to deal with. He raised his weapon and fired two neat shots, causing the weevil to collapse to the ground. "Gwen?"

She was still on her knees, her hands over her ears. Her eyes were tight shut and she was shaking, her teeth clearly gritted.

"Gwen?" Jack knelt beside her and put his hand on her shoulder.

Gwen, after a few seconds, opened her eyes and blinked quickly at Jack.

"Gwen? What's happening?" Jack asked.

Gwen shook her head quickly, her eyes panicked. Her breath was coming in quick gasps. She couldn't hear anything other than a piercing ringing in her ears; she could see Jack talking but she couldn't hear his voice.

"Okay, Gwen. Calm down." Jack didn't know whether Gwen could hear him or not, so very slowly, he moved one hand to Gwen's heart and rested it there, trying to slow her heartbeat.

Gwen relaxed under his touch and took a couple of deep breaths, closing her eyes. Her shoulders loosened and she let her hands drop from her ears. She rested her palms on the cold stone of the Plass ground, enjoying the cold wind. Suddenly exhausted, she fought back a wave of nausea.

"Gwen? What happened?" Jack demanded, his hand on her back.

"It happened once, early on. The door slammed behind me and it was so loud…" Gwen said quietly, her eyes closed. "The doctors said that it's to do with the damage in my ears… from the explosion. I thought they had healed. It hasn't happened since, and I have been around loud noises." She sat up a bit and rested against Jack.

He wrapped his arms around her.

* * *

Neither of them knew how long they were sat there. Gwen was still leaning against Jack, her eyes still closed and her breathing even while Jack kept his arms tight around her. He remembered the terror in her voice when she'd called for him on the comm. system, all those months ago. She'd been so scared; she'd thought she was going to die, Jack reflected. And she almost did.

"Jack?" Gwen's tired voice broke through his thoughts.

"Yeah?" Jack looked down at her weary face.

"Can we go home now?"

Jack smiled. "Of course."


	14. Discoveries

Author's Note: Sorry, guys. Because I've finished writing Counting Down, I forget that I still have actually upload it, you know? Maybe not. Maybe I'm just nuts. Ah well. Had to happen sometime. Anyway, here it is.

Chapter 14

Once back at the Hub, Jack guided Gwen to the makeshift bedroom he had created in case she had wanted to stay at the Hub rather than go home to begin with. He never stopped watching Gwen and he saw how tired she was. And how scared she still was.

"This is impressive, Jack," Gwen murmured.

"Isn't it?" Jack grinned and helped Gwen over to the bed.

"Where are the others?"

"I suppose they went home; it _is_ after midnight," Jack replied.

Gwen sighed and lay down on the covers, not bothering to change her clothes; she was just too tired.

Jack sat down beside her. "Are you okay, Gwen?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," she murmured and opened her eyes to look at Jack.

"What's that look for?" Jack asked, suspicious.

"Do you remember when I was in the hospital, when I woke up the second time, Doctor Jacobs told me that six of my ribs had been broken?" Gwen asked.

Jack nodded. "Yeah."

"Thanks."

Jack was confused. "What for?"

Gwen rolled her eyes wearily. "He said that it 'suggested that compressions had been attempted' or whatever. So, thanks," she smiled.

"Gwen, all I did was what anyone would do for their friend. But, you're welcome," Jack grinned.

"No, Jack. Most people would've given up by that time, if they were breaking ribs. But you kept going." Gwen looked frustrated. "I can't explain it. Just know, thanks."

"I get you," Jack smiled.

"Good."

Jack touched Gwen's arm lightly. "Good night."

"Night, Jack." Gwen whispered before closing her eyes again and rolling onto her side.

Jack stopped to watch her for a moment at the doorway and then flicked off the light.

* * *

The next morning, Ianto and Martha arrived before Gwen woke up. They were instantly aware that something wasn't quite right.

"Jack, what is it?" Ianto asked immediately. "What happened last night?"

"She was fine to start with," Jack began and then proceeded to tell them the whole story.

When he was done, Martha looked tense and Ianto upset.

"She was doing so well," the latter mused quietly.

"I know. I don't think it has set her back, I just think it scared her. She said it happened once before but apparently, she's been around loud noises since and it hasn't happened," Jack replied.

"What time did you get in last night?" Martha asked.

"After midnight. She was exhausted and we were sat out in the Plass for a long time. When she got back, I had her go straight to bed."

"It's nearly nine. She's been asleep for nine hours?" Ianto sounded a little incredulous.

"Well, she was exhausted last night."

"I suppose the pain of it tired her out," Martha speculated.

"You know, there's one thing we never worked out," Jack murmured.

"What was that?" Martha asked, having not been there at the time of the explosion.

"We never found out how it happened," Ianto told her.

"You mean, you never found out why a timed bomb came through the Rift and nearly blew me to kingdom come?" Gwen snapped.

Jack whirled around to see Gwen standing at the top of the stairs. She looked furious, her eyes bright and her hands clenched.

Jack couldn't say anything. He was frozen.

Gwen didn't seem to be able to get the words out either. She just stood there, hurt and disbelieving.

In the end, she just turned and stormed out of the Hub.


	15. Missing

Author's Note: I keep forgetting this exists now that I've finished it. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm now mainly writing Fanfiction for Criminal Minds as since Children of Earth killed my Torchwood imagination. So, until further notice I am writing Criminal Minds. And I've put The Mysterious Kai on hiatus for the moment, I just can't write it at the moment.

So, without further ado, I give you Chapter 15 of Counting Down. We're halfway through. I don't own anything.

Chapter 15

It was a good minute before anyone moved inside the Hub. It was Martha who broke the silence.

"Didn't you think about how she would feel if you didn't find out what had caused her to almost die?" Martha asked quietly.

Jack snapped. He lashed out and kicked at one of the machines. It spat at him threateningly but Jack didn't seem to notice. He turned back to Martha.

"What were we supposed to do? We had no leads, we couldn't trace the Rift flare; the only thing we had to go on was the actual event, Gwen ending up in hospital and what she'd told us before she passed out. What were we supposed to do?!" Jack repeated fiercely, his eyes burning.

"We didn't even have the pieces of the bomb to analyse because of the force of the explosion," Ianto put in, looking as miserable as Jack looked angry.

"It almost killed her," Martha said softly.

"Don't you think I know that?" Jack snapped before turning around and running a hand through his hair as he tried to calm down. He blew his breath out through his mouth. Closing his eyes, he took another deep breath and feeling calmer, turned around to face Martha and Ianto.

"I'm going to go and find her."

"What?"

"Shouldn't you give her some time to cool off?"

"I'm going to find her. I'm not entirely comfortable to have her out alone at the moment. The last time she was out alone, she nearly died." Jack yelled over his shoulder as he dashed out of the Hub.

* * *

Jack exited the tourist office to meet a hot, sunny day. The sky was bright blue and the water in the bay reflected that colour. Jack twisted around to see if he could see Gwen but when he didn't, he sprinted out over the Plass, hoping that he was going in the right direction.

* * *

An hour later, Jack had to admit defeat and so returned to the Hub. He found Ianto and Martha bent over one of the monitors, grim expressions gracing their faces.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, hauling off his great coat.

"We've just seen the CCTV from a side road next to the Car Park," Ianto told him solemnly.

"You're kidding?" Jack froze mid action. He knew what was going on. Why else would they be watching CCTV footage?

Ianto shook his head. "Go," he said and smiled slightly.

Jack shrugged his coat back on and dashed out of the Hub. He threw himself into the SUV and drove as fast as the car would go, to the Car Park that had nearly destroyed Gwen's life.

He didn't know what Gwen was doing there but he hoped desperately that she wasn't doing anything she'd regret. Her life had come so close to crashing to the ground, he just didn't want it to mess up for her again.

* * *

It wasn't long before Jack drew up outside the Car Park. The building was still under reconstruction since the explosion and so Jack had to enter through a temporary plywood door. Once inside, he looked around, and, not seeing Gwen, began to make his way towards the part constructed building.

"Gwen?" he shouted, his voice echoing in the strangely silent building site.

There was no reply.

"Gwen! Please let me help. I'm sorry. Please, I just want to apologise." He turned in a circle as he yelled up to the higher, skeleton floors.

There was still no answer so Jack took off towards the stairs.


	16. More and More Findings

Author's Note: Again, I sort of forgot about this story. I've been busy with my Criminal Minds story. For those of you who don't like or read Criminal Minds stories, I have a few Torchwood ones that I may publish at some point.

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or the characters.

Chapter 16

Jack ran up the stairs as quickly as he could and burst through the makeshift door onto the first level. The concrete ground was dusty and rubbish danced over the floor in the weak wind. But… Nothing. No one. The place was empty.

He retreated to the stairs and ran up to the next floor. It was, again, empty. Jack sighed and raised his head to look up at the next levels.

"Gwen? Please. I just want to talk," he called.

"Jack?" The voice was distant but definitely Gwen's. "I'm on the fifth floor," she sounded sad, subdued.

Jack raced towards the stairs again and ran up them, stopping short of the fifth floor. He took a second to compose himself and catch his breath and then walked through the door.

Gwen stood on the very edge of the floor, her arms resting on the railing that separated her from nothing but thin air. She didn't turn her head at the sound of Jack's arrival. And he could see the tears tracks on her cheeks.

"I guess you saw the CCTV of me coming here," she said bitterly.

"Yeah." Jack wasn't quite sure what to say now he was here.

"How am I supposed to do it, Jack?" Gwen asked softly.

"Do what?" Jack asked, stepping closer.

"How am I supposed to go out in the field when I know that every time I go out, it may be another bomb timed to blow me up again?" she replied, finally looking at him.

"I don't know, Gwen. But, is it really… is it really that different to going out any other time? We fight aliens, Gwen. Most of them intent on ripping us to shreds, it seems. Every time we go out we are in danger of getting killed. What difference is there if it's just by a bomb instead?"

"None, I suppose," she sighed. "But it doesn't make it any easier."

"And Gwen," Jack began, unsure of how to continue, "I don't know how to say this but I don't want you out in the field for a while."

Gwen sighed and nodded slowly, turning back to the road beyond the car park.

"No arguments?" Jack asked, concerned.

"No. I know you're right. Last night was stupid. I should've known it would've been pushing it to try going out." Gwen sounded so… so unlike Gwen that Jack shivered.

"Gwen, you'll be fine. It will get better. I promise you that."

"But how can you keep that promise?" Gwen asked, looking up at him with her wide eyes.

"I will," Jack told her, deliberately not answering her question. "I will keep it."

"I hope so."

"Let's go home?" Jack watched Gwen as she considered it.

"Yeah, home."

* * *

When they got back to the Hub, Jack instantly noticed that Ianto and Martha looked a little too busy but he decided not to say anything.

Gwen headed for her workstation without looking at Jack and logged on. Jack watched for a moment as she stared blankly at the screen before slowly getting on with something. He didn't miss the looks the subtle looks that Ianto and Martha were sending her.

With an inaudible sigh, Jack retreated to his office and opened his computer. He searched through the latest rift readings. There was nothing particularly interesting and Jack was about to close the window when he suddenly remembered something.

"_The signal was tiny; so small that I wouldn't have noticed it usually."_

That was what Gwen had said, just after the explosion.

Hurriedly, he searched back through the readings to the one that had expelled the bomb and then cross checked it with any similar flares.

The results came up.

Shit, Jack thought.


	17. Kady Michaels

Author's Note: Again, I am so sorry for the delay. I keep forgetting about this story and I'm sorry. I will try and keep up with it. Anyway, I know it's a bit late but Happy Christmas guys. And I don't own anyone except Kady Michaels. Thanks.

Chapter 17

Jack stormed out of his office and stopped just outside the doorframe. "Everyone in the Boardroom now!" he shouted and then disappeared back into his office.

Ianto and Martha glanced at each other in confusion and Gwen frowned. She wondered what Jack had found. It obviously hadn't made him happy.

Getting to her feet, she made her way quickly to the Boardroom, not wanting to incur Jack's wrath. He was in a filthy mood and Gwen was convinced that he had found something out that she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

* * *

Once gathered in the Boardroom, Jack strode around the table, glaring angrily at no one in particular. Gwen kept her eyes on the table top, her hands laced together in her lap. Martha glanced at her anxiously and then looked up at Jack.

"Jack," she almost snapped, "tell us what's going on."

"I looked through the Rift readings and cross-checked all of them with the one in the car park." He didn't fail to notice Gwen's wince, but kept going, "And then I cross-checked those few with suspected 'terrorist' activity, i.e. explosions."

Gwen's hand moved slowly to cover her mouth.

"There have been six since the first one. They've been regular, one every two months," Jack finished, looking solemn.

"How many casualties altogether?" Ianto asked, ever efficient.

Jack opened his mouth to reply but Martha cut him off.

"How come you didn't know about it before?!" she cried, furious that they could be so calm.

"Because they were so small that we wouldn't notice them," Gwen said so quietly that Jack almost didn't hear her.

"Ianto, so far seventeen people have been killed and twenty three people hospitalised," Jack informed Ianto with his eyes on Gwen.

She had her eyes closed, a wince ghosting across her pale face. She was breathing heavily but doing her best to keep it quiet. Jack could see her chest rising and falling violently. He was about to go over to her when she spoke.

"Jack, tell me," she whispered. "You know what I'm talking about."

Martha and Ianto looked at Jack in confusion. "Twenty two out of the twenty three hospitalised died," he clarified.

"And who is the survivor?" Gwen asked heavily.

"A sixteen year old girl, Kady Michaels." Jack handed Gwen the file and she opened it, carefully reading the contents. Then she looked up, startled. "Her Mum died in the blast?"

Jack nodded.

"Whoa," Ianto murmured as he began to collect up the empty coffee mugs.

"Yeah," Gwen whispered, almost to herself.

* * *

Half an hour later, Gwen wandered up to Jack's office and knocked gently on the door. Jack called her in and she peered around the door.

"Jack?" she said softly.

"Yeah, Gwen, what is it?" Jack looked up from whatever paperwork he was doing and smiled warmly at Gwen.

"That girl, Kady Michaels, do you know what condition she's in?"

"No," Jack shook his head slowly. "Why?"

"I want to talk to her," Gwen told him, biting her lip.

"Gwen…" Jack began.

"No, Jack. I want to talk to her. I know how it feels. I can find out if anything was different. It could help us," Gwen argued.

"Gwen, I'm not sure you should even be working on this case," Jack told her straight. "I don't think you should work a case that you're involved in."

"What? So, I'm not allowed in the field and now I can't even interview. I'm sorry Jack but I don't agree with you this time," Gwen snapped and stalked out of Jack's office.

Jack stared after her, his eyebrows raised in amazement.

Ianto entered a second later and fought back a smile at Jack's expression. "Gwen just left in the SUV," he informed Jack.

"Well, Gwen's back," Jack commented dryly.

"You going to go after her?" Ianto asked, looking apprehensively at Jack.

"I don't think there's much I can do to stop her, not when she's like this. Maybe it will help and maybe, it will help her." Jack murmured before returning to his paperwork. Sure, he was worried about Gwen but this was the first thing that had brought her real, blazing passion back. And that had to be a good thing; didn't it?


	18. Talking or Not

Author's Note: I am trying to put these up in reasonable time but I am also working on a few Spooks fanfictions. Please have a look. Thanks and please review.

I own Kady. Nothing else.

---

Chapter 18

Gwen braked and turned off the ignition. Resting her arms on the steering wheel, she leant her head on them and took a deep breath. She hadn't realised until then that she was shaking. She'd never disobeyed Jack like that since she'd opened the Rift and killed hundreds of people. She had learnt from that. But this was different. At least she thought it was.

Closing her eyes for a second, Gwen took a deep breath and sat up, wiping her wet eyes. She took a moment to breathe and then opened the car door and got out.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Gwen stood outside the hospital room numbered one eight six. She rested her hand on the doorframe and took a deep, deep breath to clear her head. It was all coming back. All those hours spent working on her walking, all those tears and that fierce wish that the blast had killed her. It made her feel sick and she was sure she was turning white again. And then that horrible ringing was beginning in her ears. But she pushed that away and took hold of the door handle.

Inside, a teenage girl with long brown hair was lying in the bed, her eyes closed. Needles were coming from all over the place and monitors surrounded the bed, displaying this and that. Gwen had a horrible sense of déjà vu except, this time, it was her who was watching it happen instead of being on the receiving end.

Slowly, Gwen moved towards the bed and sat down in the hard plastic chair. She reached for the file that was clipped to the side of the bed and read it through quickly.

Adrenaline rushed through her tired system as she read through the injuries. There were so many like her own.

Firstly, numerous gashes and cuts from metal, then damaged hearing as well. There was also a broken arm, severe head trauma and then… Gwen gasped. She couldn't remember feeling so relieved. This girl, Kady Michaels had had no damage to her spine. Thank God that she wouldn't have to go through what Gwen had, the latter thought. Other than that, this girl was recovering, slowly but surely.

* * *

An hour later, Kady's eyelids began to flicker as she came out of her deep and desperately needed sleep. Gwen was staring out of the window and out at the rain when she heard Kady whimper after putting weight on her broken arm.

"Hey," Gwen smiled softly, trying to fight back the tears that had arisen from her own time in the hospital.

Kady smiled back, tightly and stiffly. Her eyes remained sad, though.

"My name's Gwen," Gwen said, struggling to stop her voice from breaking with the tears that were staying obstinately too close for comfort.

"Hi, Gwen, I'm Kady." Kady nibbled her lip. Gwen was vaguely comforted by the familiar Welsh accent.

Kady stared at Gwen intently and cocked her head to one side. "Are you the Police?" she asked.

"I used to be," Gwen smiled. "But now, I'm Torchwood."

"Torchwood?" Kady's face screwed up a little as though she was trying to remember something. Obviously she'd heard the name before. "Do you work for the Government?"

"We're separate from the Government, beyond the United Nations. We protect the World." Gwen wasn't sure whether to stick the bit 'from aliens' in or not so she left it out.

"I suppose you're here to talk about the bomb," Kady said, looking down at her hands.

"Not if you don't want to," Gwen replied softly.

"What?"

"You don't have to talk about it. I came to talk to you. To meet you," Gwen informed her, warmth shining in her glistening eyes.

Kady shook her head in slight disbelief. "Why though?"

"Fourteen months ago, I was like you," Gwen almost whispered.

Kady frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"The bombs. There have been seven of them. I was sent to diffuse the first one but I didn't have the time to do it. So I evacuated the building but I couldn't get out in time." Gwen tucked her hair behind her ear, uncomfortable.

"What happened?" Kady sounded desperate. Gwen supposed it was desperation for someone to sympathise, to understand.

"I was in a car park," Gwen murmured, her eyes lost as she remembered that time the year before. "You can guess what happened. The drains exploded, flooding the building and apparently I nearly drowned when I was unconscious. My boss and my colleague found me. They said that I was underneath a car when they found me, my face under water. I… I wasn't breathing." Gwen took a deep breath and Kady reached out, taking her hand. Gwen smiled at her. "I don't remember much of it. There was metal everywhere and it was so cold. My boss resuscitated me. You know that if someone isn't breathing for seven minutes, that they're gone forever? Well, I wasn't breathing for three before Jack brought me back. He… he tried so hard. He wouldn't let me go. He broke six of my ribs."

"Ow," Kady winced a little in empathy but smiled. "He sounds like a good guy."

"He is," Gwen agreed. "He called an ambulance. He kept me talking, talked to me about the most random things, just to keep me awake. But I couldn't do it. I was unconscious for hours. I don't know how long. I had to have surgery to remove all this metal from when the bomb exploded. They set my shoulder and arm which were shattered and reset the ribs. I still have problems with my ears from the blast because I work with firearms. I don't think the doctors think you use a gun on a day to day business so they didn't warn me about that," Gwen cracked a smiled while Kady just looked at her, intrigued. "When I hit the ground, I damaged my spine. I severed some of the nerves that connected my right leg to my spinal cord. So, my right leg was paralysed."

"But you haven't got crutches or a chair with you…" Kady trailed off, confused.

"Ahh, the wonders of modern science," Gwen grinned weakly. "It took fourteen months in hospital but I got walking again. I'm good now. I'm home."

"Why are you telling me this? It makes me feel as though what happened to me was pathetic in comparison to all you had to deal with." Kady bit her lip, fighting the tears that were threatening to spill over.

"Kady, that isn't it. Not at all. I just wanted you to know that things get better. Nothing is so bad that you can't get out of it. I promise. But then, things can always get better. They always do and they always will. What happened to you was as horrible as what happened to me, that's a fact but I want you to know that it will get better. I am going to find who is doing this." Gwen stared straight into Kady's grey eyes, her own eyes sincere.

Kady nodded. "I believe you."

Gwen smiled. "I just wanted you to know that I'm here to talk if you want someone who knows what all of this is like. That's all." Gwen stood up slowly and began to walk towards the door. She could feel Kady's eyes on her, analysing how she walked.

"Gwen?" Kady's voice was quiet, pleading.

"Yeah?" Gwen turned to look at the sixteen year old.

"Will you stay for a bit?"

Gwen smiled understandingly. "Of course."


	19. Survivors

Author's Note: So, second update today. I'll be updating When All Else Fails next. Please review. I like this one.

Disclaimer: I only own Kady.

---

Chapter 19

Gwen sat down next to Kady again and smiled warmly at her. Kady smiled back, albeit weakly. "So?"

"We're the only survivors," Kady whispered.

"Yeah," Gwen replied, taking Kady's hand.

"Can we stay… close?" Kady asked awkwardly. "You're the only one who knows what it's like and I don't want to lose that."

"Kady, that's fine. That's why I came here. I thought you might like someone to talk to."

"What about you? Don't you get someone to talk to?" Kady asked.

"I'll be alright. I always am," Gwen lied, trying to smile.

"I don't think I believe that." Kady raised her eyebrows slightly.

"I've had fourteen months to think about it. I got back to work last week and found out by accident that they hadn't managed to find out who set those bombs. We only found out this morning that there were more than the one that got me." Gwen bit her lip. "My boss, Jack, he tried to take me off the case because he said I was too involved."

"You said 'tried'," Kady noticed dryly.

"Yeah, well, I came here, even though he said no," Gwen laughed weakly.

"Thank you, then. I don't want you to get fired because of me," Kady said sincerely.

"You don't have to worry. Jack could never fire me."

Kady laughed.

* * *

They talked for hours, easing into the friendship that had sort been thrown at them. Kady learned about Gwen and vice versa. Gwen discovered that Kady had known about her Mum. It was strange to see Kady so calm, Gwen thought, when she knows that the same blast that had landed her in hospital, had killed her Mother. Kady asked Gwen whether she could help the investigation and Gwen promised that if there was a way, she would tell her. Kady seemed eager to help but Gwen suspected that a little revenge was burning in her head as they spoke. Kady asked when she'd be able to get out of the hospital and Gwen told her that she honestly didn't know but would guess that it would be a couple of months. It was nothing compared to how long Gwen had to stay as there had been no damage to Kady's spine.

***

When it was finally time for Gwen to go, she stood up. Kady grabbed her hand with her own uncast one.

"Gwen?"

"Yeah?" Gwen turned back to her.

"What were you thinking when you were in hospital?" Kady's eyes were desperate; it was like she'd psyched herself up to say this and she was scared that she would offend Gwen.

Gwen thought for a moment about her answer. She could still remember exactly what she had been thinking but she wasn't sure whether she should tell Kady. But then she decided that Kady deserved the truth. But she had to be careful.

"Before I tell you," Gwen took a deep breath, "you have to remember that, my injuries were so bad that I thought I was never going to walk again. I thought that I'd spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. That thought horrified me. Part of my job, actually most of my job requires running around and I think I'd rather die than give up my job. So, the entire time I was in hospital, minus the time when I was learning to walk again, I was wishing that the blast had killed me."

Kady had her hand over her mouth.

Gwen sighed. Jack was going to be really annoyed but she sat down again and continued the story. "I've lost so much in the last year and when I was lying on the concrete in that car park, without being able to feel my legs or my left arm, I thought I was going to die. And you know what? I didn't mind."

Kady had tears in her eyes, either from sympathy or empathy, Gwen couldn't tell.

"And when I was in hospital, I had Jack and Ianto – my colleagues – with me. Jack stayed with me all night after the surgery. He sat with me for hours and when I was told that I might not ever walk again, he held me while I cried. I remember when he asked, I told him I felt like I'd been run over by a truck and he said that I looked beautiful," Gwen smiled, her eyes faraway. "And I knew how much it would hurt Jack but I kept thinking how much better it would've been if I'd died."

Kady swallowed thickly and Gwen looked back at her, her eyes serious. "But Kady, now, I am so glad I didn't die. If I had, I never would've gotten to see Jack smile his smile, I never would've gotten to taste Ianto's coffee again."

Kady laughed.

"I got to see Martha again, she's a friend who sometimes works as our onsite Doctor. I got to get into work again. I got to _run_ again," Gwen broke off, almost breathless. "I got to meet you. And I get to catch the bastard who did this to us and those other families."

Kady smiled. She let go of Gwen's hand and curled her own into a fist. She held it up to Gwen who smiled and clenched her own fist, touching her knuckles against Kady's.

"Survivors," Kady murmured.

"Survivors," Gwen agreed, confirming the other girl's statement with more determination and force.


	20. Painkillers

Author's Note: I sincerely apologise for not posting recently. I've been very busy with school work and stuff and yesterday my dog was attacked so everything has been tense and a bit stressed. But everything's fine now. But to make up for it, I'm posting as many chapters on stuff as I have. Please review, and again sorry.

DISCLAIMER: I only own Kady, the others are just borrowed.

-----

Chapter 20

Gwen arrived back at the Hub four hours after she'd left. She walked through the cog door to see Jack standing just outside his office with his arms folded across his chest. He looked stern but really, he was delighted to see Gwen bounding into the Hub, a smile on her face and her energy returning.

"So, how was that?" Jack asked her cautiously, conscious of how she had lashed out at him last time. He didn't want to have another argument.

"She's a nice girl," Gwen smiled.

"And, I take it you talked. I mean, you were gone for hours," Jack probed.

"Yeah," Gwen remained vague and smiled at Jack's badly hidden frustration with her answers. "Ianto, is there any coffee going spare? I'd love some," Gwen called to Ianto.

"Of course, Gwen," Ianto replied, springing into his usual efficiency.

"Gwen, are you going to tell us what you talked about?" Jack asked.

"Well, Jack," Gwen began, grinning. "Since it doesn't help us get any further to catching this bastard, no. I'm not going to tell you."

Jack shook his head, playfully huffing and puffing at Gwen. He beckoned her over and she obeyed, slightly apprehensively. He pulled her into a hug and surprisingly, she returned it.

When he let go, she looked up at him. "What was that for?"

"That can't have been easy," Jack guessed.

"No, not what you'd call easy," Gwen agreed. "But I'm glad I did it."

* * *

A couple of hours later, and they were all back to work, sifting through any relevant information over the Rift flares to see if there was a pattern that they could use. However, so far, there had been nothing.

Gwen sat back in her chair, rubbing her tired, aching eyes with the heels of her palms. She sighed and leant back, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Gwen, don't fall asleep," Jack scolded playfully from his office.

"Shut up," Gwen replied scathingly.

She heard Jack and Ianto laugh from her right and Martha from the autopsy bay.

Gwen opened her eyes reluctantly and then sat up, reaching for her bag. Out of the inside pocket she pulled a small sachet of oval, white pills. She took one out and swallowed it with the help of the glass of water on her desk.

She took a deep breath and then turned back to the computer screen, Jack's eyes on her the entire time.

* * *

Jack watched Gwen intently for the next few hours. He'd seen her take that pill and four hours after that, she took another. Something was wrong.

He got up from his desk and wandered over to Gwen's desk, hoping that all anyone saw was their boss going to check up on the work his employees were doing. He stopped next to Gwen and watched the monitor as she cross referenced the locations of the bombs.

"Gwen," Jack said and Gwen turned to face him. "You've been taking painkillers."

"So?" Gwen looked apprehensive.

"If you need to take painkillers, you shouldn't be here," Jack told her straight. "What's hurting?"

"Jack, I need to be here," Gwen said irritably. "You don't need to be so protective. I mean, I'm surprised I didn't need to take them earlier. It wasn't as though I was running around when I was in hospital!"

"Gwen, what's hurting?" Jack repeated his question.

"My shoulder but it's fine now."

"How many pain killers should you take a day?" Jack questioned.

"As many as I need, not exceeding six," Gwen sighed, exasperated.

"Gwen, if you take another one, I am taking you back to the hospital so that you can't do any work," Jack told her fiercely.

"Jack, you can't do that to me!" Gwen whispered, a plea in her eyes.

"I will, Gwen." Then he dropped his voice, sounding more caring and protective. "I just don't want to see you get hurt again. I'm not letting anything hurt you ever again. So if you take another pill, I will take you back to the hospital, you will get checked over, rest and then you can come back when you feel better."

Gwen continued to glare at him. "I'm fine, Jack. My shoulder just aches sometimes."

"Whatever, Gwen. But I will do it," Jack assured her and turned back to the office.

Gwen stared after him, angry and determined. He wasn't going to take her back to the hospital.

She turned back to her monitor and scanned the results of her other search. It had been almost two months since the last blast, the one that had hospitalised Kady Michaels.

Gwen gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. They had another four days before this blast would go off and they didn't know where that would be.


	21. Back Again

Author's Note: I'm going to keep on top of this now. Hopefully one everyday or every other day. I hope people are still reading this! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and please review.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, sadly. Actually I do! I own Kady and Paul.

Chapter 21

Gwen glanced around before forwarding the information to the others. She watched as they all opened the email and began to read. She watched the shock register on their faces. She watched as Jack stood up very deliberately.  
"Everyone, back in the boardroom. Now!" he commanded. Gwen grabbed a pile of relevant papers and made a dash for the stairs. She was halfway up when a sharp pain shot up her leg. She swallowed the urge to gasp as Jack came up behind her. She smiled at him; he stared at her, concerned.  
Gwen could feel his eyes on her back as she walked up the remaining stairs, her teeth gritted, praying that her leg wouldn't hurt again.  
Luckily, she was alright, and as they had a time frame to keep to, Jack couldn't spend all his time worrying about Gwen.  
"So, we have four days to work out who is doing this and the location of the next explosion," Jack began.  
"I've got the computer running a scan, cross-checking the locations now," Ianto put in.  
"Good," Jack nodded.  
"Jack, you know there's a possibility that the scan may come up with more than one location," Gwen said quietly.  
"We'll deal with that when we get to that, if we get to that," Jack replied tersely.  
Gwen nodded.

***

An hour later, Ianto called Jack, Gwen and Martha to gather around his computer. The information was displayed clearly on the screen.  
"The next one's in the Plass?" Gwen said finally.  
"Yes," Ianto replied, even though he didn't need to.  
"Gwen, come with me," Jack said quietly.  
"Where are we going?" Gwen asked, following Jack towards the SUV garage.  
"Just come with me."

***

They were driving down one of the busier roads in Cardiff when Gwen realised where Jack was taking her.  
"No, Jack! No, I'm not going back!" she cried.  
"Gwen, you're in pain. You really shouldn't be working at all," Jack replied stiffly.  
"I don't need to go back to hospital," Gwen argued.  
"It's just for a few days. I promise,"  
"I. Don't. Need. A. Hospital," Gwen repeated stubbornly.  
"Gwen, I'm the boss. And anyway, you look exhausted. If I took you back to your flat, how would I know you'd stay there?" Jack asked.  
"Oh, well, you could trust me for a start," Gwen snapped sarcastically, emphasising the word 'trust'.  
"That's the thing, Gwen. I do trust-″  
"You've got a funny way of showing it," Gwen interrupted.  
"If you'd let me finish!" Jack snapped but then continued more gently, "You'll go to any lengths to help someone but sometimes you forget about yourself."  
Gwen didn't reply.  
"It's just for a few days. I promise."  
Gwen just nodded.

***

Gwen watched Jack leave and, instead of getting some rest as she had been instructed, she wandered out of the room and made her way along to ICU.  
A few minutes later, Gwen was standing outside Kady's room. There was a glass window in the door and inside, Gwen could see Kady talking seriously to a man who Gwen suspected was Kady's father. The conversation looked deep, and Gwen had decided to come back later, when Kady looked up and saw her lingering. She mouthed Gwen's name and then beckoned for her to enter.  
Gwen pushed open the door, smiling.  
"Dad, this is the woman I was telling you about," Kady's face lit up.  
"Gwen Cooper," Gwen held out her hand.  
"Paul Michaels, Kady's father," the man shook Gwen's hand.  
"It's nice to meet you," Gwen smiled sincerely.  
"Two visits in one day?" Kady grinned. "What did I do to deserve this?"  
"My boss, Jack made me come back for a few days after he saw me taking a painkiller. He didn't think I should be working," Gwen rolled her eyes.  
"So, my daughter told me that you were caught in the first blast…" Paul's face was lined and serious.  
"Yeah," she nodded, all joking smiles gone. "I was sent to disarm it but I wasn't quick enough."  
"How long ago was the first blast?" Paul asked, presumably wondering why Gwen wasn't in a hospital bed.  
"Fourteen months ago. I only got back to work last week," Gwen told him.  
"Why so long?" Paul asked, concerned.  
"Let's just say, I was a little less lucky than your daughter." Gwen bit her lip.  
"Are you okay, Gwen?" Kady asked. "If Jack sent you back…"  
"I'm fine, Kady," Gwen replied firmly, but not unkindly. "Jack's just being overprotective. He thinks it's his fault that I got hurt because I went out alone that day," Gwen explained, and then added: "moron."  
Kady laughed and Paul smiled.  
"Anyway, I'd better be getting back. If Jack finds out that I haven't been 'resting' he'll… who knows what he'll do."  
"You'll come back and visit before you go, won't you?" Kady asked.  
"Of course, and you can come and visit me," Gwen smiled as Kady's face lit up. "I'll see you later."  
She left the room quickly and was surprised when she heard Paul's voice behind her.  
"Miss Cooper?"  
"Gwen, please," she corrected warmly as Kady's father shut his daughter's door.  
"I understand that you can't tell me much – I get that – but I just wondered how close you are to getting these people. I mean, all my daughter can talk about is how you'll get them. So many families have been ripped apart." Paul's eyes were full of tears as he presumably thought about his wife.  
"I understand what you're going through, Mr Michaels," Gwen said gently. "After the first explosion, all I could think about was revenge. I understand," she paused. "I can't tell you much and I don't know much as I've pretty much been taken off the case because I'm too emotionally involved but I'll tell you this… We'll get this guy, and soon. I promise you that."  
"Thank you, Miss Cooper… Gwen," Paul smiled.  
"And if I need your or your daughter's help, I can contact you?" Gwen asked.  
"Of course. And thank you for helping my daughter,"  
"It's not a problem. She's a lovely girl," Gwen smiled softly.  
"Aye. She is that."  
"Mr Michaels, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to remain a… a friend to Kady. We're the only survivors and…" Gwen stopped as she desperately tried to choke back the tears that were threatening to spill.  
Paul smiled gently and laid his hand hesitantly on Gwen's arm. "It's okay. I'd like it very much if you stayed Kady's friend. You've made a big impression on her."  
Gwen smiled weakly.  
They stood in comfortable silence for a while.  
And then, Gwen said, "Mr Michaels, I –″  
Paul cut her off. "Gwen, if I call you by your first name, then you must call me by mine: Paul."  
"Paul, then. I don't mean to offend but I just wondered why Kady was so… calm, for want of a better word, about her mother's death." Gwen watched as Paul's face tightened.  
"My wife was ill. She had cancer," Paul said sadly, tears sliding down his face. "They hadn't expected her to last so long but we knew it was only a matter of time. We were on borrowed time already. Me and Kady… well, we knew it was going to happen. We may have had more time with her, but she was only going to get sicker. Does that make sense?"  
Gwen nodded.  
Paul nodded back, his jaw clenched.  
"Thank you," Gwen smiled softly.  
"You too," Paul returned. "See you soon."  
Gwen nodded once more and left.


	22. Your Fault, Jack

Author's Note: So, I didn't have internet connection yesterday so I couldn't' post in the evening. I can't remember whether I posted in the morning. But, because I go back to school tomorrow, I'm putting up as much as possible tonight. So please do read and review.

DISCLAIMER: I only own Kady and Paul.

-----

Chapter 22

Four days and numerous visits to and from Kady later, Gwen stood at the window in her hospital room. She was exhausted and everything ached but she refused to sit down or move away.  
She'd been there all day and she had barely moved since she'd started her vigil earlier that morning. Her eyes were focused in the direction of Roald Dahl Plass. If an explosion went off, that's where it would be.  
Gwen shifted her weight to her other foot, wincing as some bone or joint clicked and glanced at her watch. Nearly four o'clock and still no word from Jack or the others. She was insane with the worry.  
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, disturbing her thoughts. She whirled around to face it, only too aware of how panicked she looked. "Come in," she called.  
The door opened and a small, olive-skinned nurse appeared. "A visitor for you, Miss Cooper."  
Gwen nodded nervously.  
And then the door opened wider and Jack became visible.  
"Jack!" Gwen cried and dived into his chest.  
He laughed and hugged her as the nurse slipped away, closing the door quietly behind her to give the pair some privacy.  
"I see you're doing as I said," Jack commented, raising his eyebrows. Gwen realised how much of a mess she must look.  
"Well, how did you expect me to rest when I knew that all of you were out there?" she objected.  
Jack's face dropped.  
"What is it?" Gwen asked seriously.  
Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He handed it to Gwen.  
Gwen glanced at him carefully before she looked down and began to read:

_This is addressed to Torchwood.___

_Last time, you fixed it. I'd like to see you do it again. As you can see, there's been no bomb this time. I am giving you one day to work out this one. After that, who knows what will happen? And maybe this time, Gwen won't be so lucky…___

_This is your fault, Jack._

Gwen looked up at Jack. "Don't listen, Jack. This isn't your fault."  
"It is. But there's also a direct threat to you in that." Jack tried to distract her with a more important point.  
"Let them try it," Gwen murmured as she looked down at the paper again.  
There was a knock at the door.  
"Come in," Gwen called, not looking up.  
The door opened and there stood Kady, her arm bound up. "Gwen?"  
"Kady, this is Jack. Jack, this is Kady." Gwen sat down on the bed, still not raising her eyes.  
"Hi," Kady smiled and shook Jack's hand, "It's good to meet you. Gwen talks about you all the time,"  
Jack nodded to her, his eyes warm.  
Kady looked back at Gwen, "Gwen, what's going on?"  
Gwen ignored her and looked at Jack, "So, we've got one day to work out where the next bomb will be?"  
Kady gasped.  
"Yeah," Jack replied.  
"I take it Ianto ran it through the predictor?"  
"He did. There are four possible locations," Jack informed her.  
"So, you need me back," Gwen pointed out.  
"Gwen, I'm tempted to bring in one of Martha's colleagues from UNIT. I just don't think you should be doing this. I don't want you to get hurt again; you heard that threat."  
"Oh, come off it, Jack. I'm perfectly fit and you know that UNIT have no jurisdiction here," Gwen argued.  
Jack could see her point about UNIT. Maybe he could compromise. "Okay, how about this? And hear me out! One of the locations is the Plass. It's the lowest risk as the note came through there but as there's still a chance, it needs to be monitored. How's that?"  
Gwen glanced at Kady. "Okay," she conceded.  
"I'll come and get you tomorrow morning. I want you to rest tonight," Jack said sternly.  
"Yeah, yeah." Gwen rolled her eyes playfully.  
"See you then." Jack reached in to hug her and then left.  
As soon as the door closed, Gwen turned to Kady and waited for the storm to hit.  
"How can you go out and do this with what happened last time?!" Kady nearly exploded with anger and indignation.  
"It's my job to stop whoever is doing this and stop them hurting people. You get hurt in this job. There's always a chance," Gwen reminded her.  
"But what if this time, you lose the use of both of your legs or… or what if you die?" Kady cried.  
"That's a risk I have to take," Gwen told her.  
"What about me?" Kady asked quietly.  
"Hey, Kady, it's okay," Gwen pulled Kady into a hug. "I'm not gonna die."  
Kady leant her head on Gwen's shoulder and sniffed quietly. "That's what my Mum said."  
Gwen had nothing to say to that so she pulled back and looked Kady full in the face. "Survivors, yeah?"  
"Yeah."


	23. Guess Who

Chapter 23

Gwen stood beneath the Water Tower, concealed by the currently stationary invisible lift. At her belt was her gun and in her ear was her comm., ready to receive any instructions. Jack was convinced that there wouldn't be an explosion in the Plass but Gwen didn't think that they should discount it without any evidence.

She'd been standing there for hours with no news. It was driving her mad.

Gwen was just glancing at her watch when there was a huge explosion from across the city. Her head jerked up just as her comm. crackled into life.

"Gwen? Are you there?" It was Ianto's voice. He sounded panicked.

"Yeah, Ianto. I'm here!" she replied, stunned by what she was seeing.

"Martha?" Ianto asked.

"Still here. It must be Jack,"

"Jack, are you there?" Gwen called.

No reply.

"Jack, we're coming!" She began to run towards the fire that was ripping through the distant building.

"No. Everyone go back to the Hub. I'll meet you there," Jack's voice was shocked but resigned.

"But -″

Jack clicked off his comm. so they couldn't object any further.

"Well, then," Ianto said. "I'll see you both in a minute,"

***

Twenty minutes later, Gwen, Martha and Ianto were assembled in the Hub, waiting impatiently for Jack to return.

Coffee in hand, Ianto had just returned to the workstation where Gwen was spinning restlessly on the chair, when the invisible lift began to descend.

Jack was lowered down into the Hub holding a handcuffed John in front of him. When the lift was maybe a foot from the ground, Jack pushed his captive off the flagstone, causing John to land on his knees with a thwack.

"Ow!" John called out pointedly, "Where's your hospitality?"

"He's been setting off the bombs," Jack announced, giving John a vicious kick as he stepped off the lift.

Gwen's face went white and her eyes widened. Jack came over and put a hand on her arm. But Gwen ignored him. She burst forward off the spot and punched John full in the face. He tumbled backwards but scrambled back onto his feet quickly.

"You know, in some galaxies, that could be taken the wrong way," John leaned in as if to kiss Gwen. But she'd pulled her gun and pressed it against his mouth.

"Tell me why you did it!" she cried.

John shrugged.

Gwen's finger tightened on the trigger, "Tell me why you did it or I will blow your brains out!" she screamed, fury blazing in her eyes.

"Gwen, careful," Jack warned, putting a hand on her arms.

"Careful?! Jack, please don't tell me you're siding with this bastard!" Gwen cried, accidentally jabbing the barrel of the gun into John's nose. Blood began to trickle into his mouth and onto his chin.

"No, of course I'm not!" Jack protested, trying to drag Gwen away from John.

"Jack! He is part of the reason that Tosh and Owen are dead!" Gwen collapsed into Jack's arms, sobbing and Jack subtly eased her gun out of her hands and passed it to Ianto. He held Gwen on her feet as she gasped for breath.

"I had a bomb strapped to my wrist!" John defended himself.

"Yeah, and I had a bomb go up in my face!" Gwen spat, glowering. "Thanks to you."

"Gwen," Jack leaned forward to whisper in Gwen's ear, "You are free to kick the shit out of him after we find out whether there are any more bombs."

Gwen smiled a little.

Jack turned to John, "So, are there any more?"

"You have no idea," John grinned.

Gwen lunged forward again but this time, Jack managed to haul her back before she could inflict any damage. Jack knew how dangerous she could be, even without a gun.

"What the hell does that mean?!" she shrieked as Jack battled with her, eventually lifting her out of the way and landing her in Ianto's arms.

Ianto understood immediately and forced Gwen up the stairs to Jack's office. Gwen was twisting and writhing, trying desperately to get back to John.

When they got to the office, Ianto heaved Gwen inside and slammed the door behind him.

Gwen took a shuddering breath and collapsed onto her knees, sobbing into her hands. Ianto knelt down beside her and pulled her into a hug.

"What are we going to do?" Gwen rasped, still struggling to get her breath through her tears.

Ianto didn't know what to say.


	24. Phone Call Calm Down

Author's Note: Sorry guys. I'm really sorry this took so long but I've been horribly busy with school. I hope this makes up for it a bit and I promise that updates will be quicker from now on. Please review.

DISCLAIMER: I only own Kady and Paul.

-----

Chapter 24

Gwen took a shaky breath and wiped her face. She looked down to where Jack was still questioning John.

She smiled weakly at Ianto, "thanks."

"Not a problem."

Gwen felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and checked the caller ID. She'd been planning to just let it ring, but when she saw Kady's name on the screen, she glanced apologetically at Ianto and answered.

"Kady?" Gwen was only too aware of how tired she sounded.

"Gwen!" Kady almost shrieked on the other end of the line. "Are you okay? You weren't caught in that new bomb, were you? You sound terrible,"

"Thanks, Kady," Gwen replied dryly, smiling a little despite her mood. "No, Jack was there but he's fine. I'm okay, I'm just exhausted,"

"Did you get anything from the latest bomb?"

"Yeah, we got the guy who's been setting the explosions," Gwen told her.

"Did you?!" Kady sounded breathless.

"Yeah."

"I hope he burns in hell."

"Believe me, when I'm through with him, hell will look positively wonderful," Gwen smiled. "I nearly shot him on the spot but Jack stopped me. Shame."

Kady laughed. She started to say something but Gwen saw Jack beckon herself and Ianto back down.

"Sorry, Kady. Jack needs me back,"

"Oh, okay. Talk to you later?" Kady sounded disappointed.

"Yeah, course."

"Say hi to Jack for me."

Gwen hung up and slipping her phone back in her pocket, followed Ianto down to where the others were standing. Martha's face was stony.

"Jack, Kady says hi," Gwen put in before they got started.

"Who's Kady?" John asked, waggling his eyebrows at them.

Gwen glared at him. "She's the only other bomb survivor."

"Gwen, Ianto, we have a serious problem." Jack looked deadly serious.

"What?"

"He," Martha spat, pointing at John, "has another nine bombs set to explode in the next twelve hours,"

Gwen gasped.

"Have we got the locations?" Ianto asked.

"Not yet," Jack hissed, looking menacingly at John, "but we'll get them."

They stood in silence for a moment.

Then Jack spoke, "Gwen, Martha, go and sleep for an hour. I need you fresh for going to disarm the bombs."

Martha nodded and Gwen looked as though she was going to argue but then nodded too.

"Ianto, what do you say to a bit of interrogation?"

"Whatever you say, sir," Ianto replied grimly.


	25. Girls in Black

Author's Note: Thank you for all the lovely reviews. It was very nice to hear from people. Please do review this one. This first scene I could picture before I started writing the story! It was just so perfect. I hope you like this chapter and please review.

-----

Chapter 25

Gwen tied the laces of her boots tightly and pulled her hair into a ponytail. She strapped her gun into its holster and pulled on a short black jacket.

She joined Martha who was dressed similarly, in black but in what were otherwise unremarkable clothes when seen from a casual eye. They shared an apprehensive smile.

"Let's get going. Jack will be wondering what's taking us so long." Martha holstered her own gun and she and Gwen set off for the stairs.

Gwen had to admit it: she was scared. The last time she'd been sent to defuse a bomb, she'd nearly died and despite her previous feelings, she didn't want to die. She wanted to learn more about Kady, she wanted to chase more weevils with Jack and Ianto and she wanted to see another summer. This was a big job and there was a chance that one of them wouldn't come out of it alive. They had to disarm two bombs each and then the quickest had to do the last one. Gwen hoped it wouldn't be her. She didn't want to face that countdown again.

* * *

The team met up at the base of the water tower inside the Hub. Ianto was dressed like Martha and Gwen, but Jack had refused, and was dressed in his usual fashion. Each had a black rucksack slung over their shoulders, inside of which, there were pliers, coils of wire, their own mobiles and other bits and pieces such as an extra round of bullets each, and some tools.

"Have you each got your PDAs?" Jack asked, holding up his own.

The others nodded.

"And your coordinates?"

"Yes, Jack," Ianto affirmed, answering for all of them.

"And your comms are all online?"

"Yes, Jack!" Martha cried, exasperated but smiling.

"How long have we got for each bomb?" Gwen asked, thinking of another tense countdown.

"We don't know. I don't think John knows either," Jack informed her.

Gwen nodded. "Let's get on with it."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Gwen stood in the basement of a huge office block, shivering with déjà vu. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she stepped towards a foundation pillar and crouched down at the base of it. She shifted a pile of boxes and a small noise of fear escaped her mouth. The bomb was small and silver and the red LED lights were easy to make out in the dim light.

1:48:33

She had a decent amount of time. They had already started the evacuation process when she'd arrived and she was fairly confident seeing as Ianto had offered to walk her through cutting the right wire.

Pulling her rucksack off her shoulders, Gwen pulled out a screwdriver.

"Okay, Ianto, what do I do?" she asked.

"Unscrew the top of the casing and then cut the wire 732," Ianto instructed.

Gwen obeyed and prised off the top of the bomb. Wires were coiled around each other, all red and delicately inserted into ports on each of the six sides. Gwen took out the pliers and found the wire labelled 732.

"Here it goes, Ianto," she murmured and cut the wire. The little machine immediately began to hiss and spit. It hummed angrily and sparks flew in all directions. Gwen cried out as she slipped back, covering her face with her hands.

"Gwen, are you alright?" Ianto called, panicked.

"Yeah," Gwen panted, leaning back onto her hands and surveying the now slightly burned looking machine. "Yeah, I'm fine, Ianto."

"You sure? What happened?" Ianto asked.

Before Gwen could answer, Jack, having obviously heard what had happened, intervened. "Gwen! Gwen, what's going on? Are you alright? What happened?"

"Jack, calm down. I'm alright. Something happened, I don't know, but its fine. I'm fine," Gwen reassured Jack, although not quite succeeding.

"Are you sure?" Jack pressed.

"I'm fine. Really," Gwen told him. "I'm going to go and find the next one. How are you guys doing?"

"I've done mine, not as eventful as yours," Jack replied.

"I'm just finishing up," Ianto put in.

"Okay, I'm out. I'll go and find the next one." Gwen smiled and put her things back in her rucksack. She had to get out and go on to the next one.


	26. Countdowns

Author's Note: Okay, I think this was officially my favourite chapter but I like the next one too. After this, I think there's only 4 more chapters. How sad! I'll have to find a new Torchwood idea to write about. Please review.

DISCLAIMER: I only own Kady and Paul.

-----

Chapter 26

Gwen marched down the corridor of the industrial plant, very aware of the stares that she was getting from the crowds of people flocking out because of the fire alarm. Gwen, of course, was moving in the opposite direction to everyone else, hence the attraction of the strange glances.

She moved quickly down the hallway to where the storeroom was. Also in there, she had been told, was the electrics box which had been apparently on the blink for the last couple of days. Although she making a partial guess, Gwen was still reasonably sure that that was where the bomb was.

Reaching the door, she pushed it open and flicked on the light. The electrics box was at the back of the room and Gwen had to shift a ladder in order to get to it. She pulled open the little door and looked inside.

"Shit," she murmured.

She adjusted the volume on her comm. "Ianto, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, Gwen, go ahead," Ianto returned, sounding slightly out of breath.

"We have a serious problem," Gwen told him, seriously.

"What?" Ianto sounded alarmed.

"This bomb is more high-tech than the last one. It's wired into the electric system and it looks like it'll blow up in my face if I cut a wire," Gwen winced, blocking out the memories of the blast. She could almost hear the squeal of her comm. in her ear as it was crushed under her head. "What do I do?!" Gwen could feel herself panicking.

"Gwen, calm down," Ianto instructed but Gwen could hear the fear in his voice. "I want you to look at it, and tell me how long you've got,"

Gwen flicked up a little slot of metal and looked at the LED lights. She cursed under her breath. "Ianto, we've got about twenty minutes,"

"Gwen, tell me how long we've got exactly," Ianto ordered.

"Nineteen minutes and thirty seven seconds!" Gwen snapped. "Is that good enough, Ianto?! I'm about to have a second bomb go up and there's nothing I can do to stop it killing the people still in this building! I don't know what to do, Ianto!" She could feel the tears rising in her throat. Fear was coursing through her and she thought she was either going to be sick or that she'd faint.

"Gwen, calm down," Ianto commanded. "Gwen, you are going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright!"

Gwen pulled in a shuddering breath. "Okay, what do I do?"

"You're in the Industrial Plant on St Paul's Street, aren't you?"

"Yeah, in the basement. Why?" Gwen asked, sniffing.

"This bomb here, I'm done. It'll take me less than ten minutes to get to you. I'll sort it. Get out of there," Ianto instructed.

"Ianto Jones, if you think that I'm going to leave you in here with this bomb than you have lost your marbles! I am not leaving you with this thing!" Gwen's voice was steely and determined.

"Gwen, there's another bomb out there. Go out and sort it. I'll be fine," Ianto told her. Then he spoke to Jack over the comm., "Jack? Where are you?"

Jack's voice was muffled, "I'm turning onto St Paul's Street."

"Get Gwen out of there, and you two, go and find the last bomb."

"Don't I get a say in this?!" Gwen asked, furiously.

"Not this time, Gwen. You're not going through that again! I will not let that happen!" Jack set her straight.

"I don't need babysitting. I-˝

"Jack? Promise me something?" Ianto broke in.

"Anything."

"Get Gwen out and keep her safe," Ianto said, his tone serious. "This team has lost enough and gone through enough and we need to stick together. Nothing can get in the way of that."

"Yeah, Ianto. And I'm not letting you go through what happened to me!" Gwen cried.

"I'm on my way," Ianto told her. "Good luck with the next bomb."

Gwen went to reply but Ianto had clicked off his comm.

"Gwen?" Jack's voice was coming from behind her, rather than coming from her ear.

Gwen turned around to see Jack watching her. Tears were fighting to get out of her eyes.

"Jack," Gwen's voice cracked against her will. "I – I can't let that happen to Ianto. I won't… I won't leave him here! I can't..."

"I understand, Gwen. Believe me, I do." Jack put his hands on Gwen's shoulders. "I don't want to leave him any more than you do, but he knows what he's doing and there's another bomb out there, which we need to sort out."

Gwen swallowed thickly and gasped, tears running down her face. She nodded slightly and let Jack lead her out of the building.

* * *

When they reached the open air, Gwen took a deep breath and closed her eyes as Jack led her down the road. She was attracting some more strange glances from the evacuated staff, what with her wet cheeks and red eyes but she kept her composure, and, after taking another deep breath, she opened her eyes and focused again, setting off at a run with Jack on her heels, following the directions from her PDA.

* * *

They arrived at the multi-storey car park and headed down. Gwen's tears had stopped and now, her eyes were steely. She was determined to stop this bomb and get back to Ianto before that bomb went off.

The pair skidded to a stop on the bottom floor and gazed around, panic, fear and anger pulsing through them. They'd had enough of John's games, they just wanted to end this.

"So, where would the bomb be?" Jack said, almost to himself.

"This car park is connected to the shopping centre. If it went off, hundreds of people could die," Gwen murmured, staring around.

"Gwen?!" a voice shouted from across the level.

Gwen spun around and saw Kady running towards her, her father a few metres behind her.

Gwen froze. Kady, the only other survivor of the bombs, was in the most dangerous place she could be.

"Gwen!" Kady panted, running up to Gwen, her arm in a cast. "Hey, Gwen!"

Gwen stared at her excited face with wide, panicked eyes. "Kady, get out! Get out now!"

Kady stalled, stunned and hurt.

"Kady, you and your Dad, go now! Get out of here!"

Jack excused himself quickly and made his way towards the maintenance area. Gwen shot him a half-scared, half-dirty look for leaving her to deal with Kady and her father. She needed to get them out and at that moment, she didn't need Kady's stubborn attitude.

"Gwen? What's going on?" Kady asked, unsure.

"There's a bomb in the building! I need you both to get out of here now," Gwen ordered, preferring to be direct.

Paul gasped and grabbed Kady's shoulders, trying to drag her away towards the door. But Kady refused to move.

"Why aren't you getting out then?" Kady demanded.

"Because it's my job to find this bomb and stop it from hurting people!" Gwen almost screamed in frustration. "Kady, please get out!"

"Is there anything I can do to help? I thought you'd caught the guy who was setting these bombs…" Kady trailed off.

"We did. I'll explain later. Now, please get out. I don't have time to deal with you and your attitude right now. So, get out and we'll talk later," Gwen snapped. She wanted to be nice but there wasn't the time.

Kady stepped back, hurt, and turned around to walk away with her father. They headed for the pedestrian exit towards the square outside without a backwards glance.

Less than a second later, the fire alarm split the air. The screaming ringing had begun in her ears and it knocked the breath out of her. She gasped, her hands flying to her ears, her teeth gritting. She closed her eyes tightly and struggled to stay on her feet.

She felt Kady rush back up to her and she forced open her eyes. Kady was speaking but Gwen couldn't hear her voice. Gwen could feel herself start to panic. It must've been Jack who started the fire alarm.

Speak of the devil, Jack rushed up at that moment, his mouth moving rapidly as he shouted. Gwen shook her head, unable to understand and tightened her hands over her ears as the ringing increased in pitch.

"It's my ears," she strained.

Jack looked even more panicked than he was already, and grabbed her hand. He started dragging her towards the door. Kady and Paul ran ahead of them. Gwen had a surreal moment of wondering what Jack had told them when they burst out of the doors, onto the square before there was an explosion so loud that even Gwen heard it.


	27. Aftermath

**Author's Note**: Thanks for the reviews guys. As we're nearing the end shall we try and get as many as we can? It'll make me post faster! :P

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate and happy holidays to those of you who don't. And if you're not celebrating Easter and you're not on holiday, then happy life.

DISCLAIMER: I only own Kady and Paul.

-----

Chapter 27

Gwen hit the ground with a thwack and groaned as pain sliced up her leg from her ankle to her knee. Her ears were ringing but she pushed herself up and blinked weakly. She could see blurry colours: reds, greys and blacks.

"Jack?" she coughed, suddenly smelling and tasting the acrid stench of the smoke.

"Gwen?" Jack's face came into her field of vision, his eyes wide and scared. "Gwen?"

"Yeah," Gwen coughed again, heaving herself onto her elbows. "What happened?" she rasped.

"Are you okay? Does anything hurt?" Jack ignored her question.

Gwen blinked forcefully, trying to clear her ringing head. She noticed straight away that Jack and herself were covered in dust and that Jack had blood on his face.

"Jack, what happened?" she repeated as she forced herself into a sitting position.

She'd barely got the words out of her mouth before Jack glanced up and swore. She followed his line of sight and saw John standing at the top of the now crumpled looking building.

"How did he get out?!" Gwen gasped, coughing again.

"I have no idea," Jack murmured, his eyes on John as the latter waved mockingly.

"Jack, help me get up," Gwen ordered and Jack immediately obeyed. When she was on her feet, Gwen hung onto Jack, unable to put any weight on her left foot.

"Oh, God," she murmured, closing her eyes as she willed back the pain.

"What is it?" Jack whispered.

"My ankle."

"Gwen? Jack?"

The pair turned to see Kady and Paul rush up to them. Both, again, were covered in dust and Kady had a gash on her head which was leaking blood down her face.

"Kady, are you okay? Paul?" Gwen asked, hanging on even harder to Jack's shoulder.

"The cast has ripped," Kady indicated to her bound up arm, "but I'm fine. My ears are ringing though,"

"I'm alright," Paul added.

"Have you forgotten someone?" John shouted from the top of the building.

"I am going to kill him," Gwen seethed.

"Who is he?" Paul asked.

"He's been setting the bombs."

"But, you said…" Kady frowned.

"Yes, we had him but somehow he got out," Gwen told them, gritting her teeth.

"Just introducing you, John!" Jack shouted.

"Good. Gwen? I'd like to talk to you," John shouted back.

"You'll have to come down here then. I've done something to my ankle and walking is difficult," Gwen replied icily.

"I'm not coming down." John very deliberately lifted his wrist and pressed a button on the strap.

Gwen suddenly felt lighter and she let go of Jack. She looked at her hands and saw that she was glowing.

"Shit," she looked up at Jack with wide eyes.

"What is it?" Kady asked, laying a hand on Gwen's arm.

"No, Kady, let-˝ Gwen wasn't quick enough. Before she could finish her sentence, both she and Kady appeared on the car park roof next to John. Gwen immediately collapsed onto the floor, her ankle giving out on her. Kady hauled her back onto her feet and steadied her, holding Gwen's hand on her own shoulder.

"Well, hello. Who are you?" John smiled expectantly at Kady.

"Kady," Kady snapped, her knuckles turning white on Gwen's hand.

"What do you want, John?" Gwen hissed, her teeth clearly gritted.

"You want to know what I want?" John asked, circling around Gwen and Kady like a panther circling its prey.

Gwen returned his stare with a steady gaze. Her eyes never left his and her hand never left her gun.

"You want to know what I want?" John spat. "I want Jack to notice me. He left me for you. You and your pathetic little race keep him here. If he can see how fragile you are, he will leave your planet and come back to me, where he belongs. He will come back to me."

"You think so?" Gwen said quietly. "You think that if you tried to blow me to kingdom come, then Jack would just waltz right back to you? He cares too much to do that."

"He cares about you?!" John snorted in derision.

"Do you know why I survived? Do you know why I'm still here?" Gwen asked evenly.

John snorted again and turned away but Gwen grabbed his shoulder and twisted him around.

"When I was dying, when I was drowning in the drainage water, Jack pulled me out from underneath a car that was crushing me, even when it could've done more damage than good. Did you know that outside a hospital, CPR is only effective 7% of the time? Yeah, well, Jack tried so hard to bring me back. He broke six of my ribs because he wanted me to live. You got that?!" Gwen's voice was low but she was working as hard as she could to reign in her fury. "Now tell me that Jack doesn't care!"

"Of course Jack doesn't care. He doesn't want to leave Earth unprotected. He doesn't care about you. You are nothing to him. Nothing but a dispensable work force!"

Gwen couldn't control it. She swung a punch at him but because of her injured ankle, she lost her balance and nearly collapsed to the ground, although before she could hit the concrete, Kady grabbed her arm and yanked her back up. Both were so preoccupied that neither were watching John.

Gwen had barely got back on her feet when John's fist caught her in the face. Kady couldn't catch her this time and she hit the ground with the shout. Gwen's eyes were squeezed shut and her hand flew to the back of her head. Blood was trickling down her neck and over her hand.

"You bastard!" Kady shrieked. She swung her cast arm at John's face and caught him with her elbow. He yelled something that sounded a lot like a curse and took a step backwards.

"You little-˝ John snapped and raised his hand to hit her.

"John, if you touch her, I will kill you," Gwen hissed, now up, but unsteady on her feet and there was blood was spilling down from under her hair.

"Is that a threat?" John asked silkily.


	28. Do You Want It To End Like This?

Author's Note: Only a few more chapters left to go. I'm going away for a couple of days so I'm putting a chapter up for you guys. Please review! We're nearly at the end and it would be nice to boost the reviews. Thanks a lot.

DISCLAIMER: I only own Kady and Paul.

-----

Chapter 28

"I have had enough of you and your bullshit. If you dare touch Kady, I will shoot you through the head," Gwen spat.

"Really?" John was circling them again.

"Yes, John. Stop playing games." Gwen had her hand on her gun, ready to use it if she had to.

"Do you think I'll just give up?" John asked.

"You have nowhere else to go," Gwen pointed out.

"That's what you think," John smiled, like a tiger baring its teeth. He reached down and pressed a button on his wrist strap, "but I'm not going without leaving you a reminder."

Gwen waited for him to blow the three of them to hell but when she heard the explosion, it was much further away. She looked around and saw two explosions across the city. It was then that she realised what John had done.

"How can you do that?" she asked, frozen and sick to her stomach.

John cocked his head and looked at her inquisitively.

"How do you just press a button and, just like that," Gwen snapped her fingers, "you kill more people."

Kady looked at Gwen, her face grim.

"You could've just killed Ianto and Martha," Gwen's voice hitched as tears spilled down her face.

Kady glanced from Gwen to John and then suddenly, she hit John in the face. He fell to the floor, off guard.

"How could you do that?" she shouted.

John just smiled and pressed a button on his wrist strap. Waves of rift energy faded in and seemed to almost suck John backwards. Kady leapt at him but before she could get there, Gwen caught her around the middle and held her firm.

"Your father has lost your mother and he nearly lost you. Do you really want to follow that bastard to God knows where and leave your dad on his own?" she murmured.

Kady went limp in Gwen's arms and she scowled at John. John smiled and then vanished into the Rift energy.

Gwen and Kady collapsed onto the concrete, panting and shaking. Gwen groaned and wrapped her hands around her ankle. Sweat trickled down from under her hair and mingled with the blood.

"Are you okay?" she glanced over at Kady who had tears running down her face.

Kady looked up and shook her head, "I don't understand," she whispered.

"We've got to get back down and then, I have to go and find Ianto and Martha, and make sure they're okay." Gwen tried to drag herself to her feet but she couldn't manage it. "Ah," she gasped, unable to put weight on her injured ankle.

"Maybe we should get Jack and my Dad to help you back down," Kady suggested quietly.

"Maybe." Gwen tapped her earpiece. "Jack? Yeah, we're fine. I can't put any weight on my ankle, though. Yeah, thanks, that would be good. Have you heard from Ianto or Martha? Oh, okay. Yeah, see you in a minute." Gwen's voice was soft and sad.

"What is it?" Kady asked.

"Jack and your Dad are coming up here. Jack hasn't heard from either Martha or Ianto." Gwen wiped her face with her sleeve.

Kady swallowed and nodded.

* * *

A couple of minutes later, Jack raced out of the stair shaft. He strode over to Gwen and pulled her up, hugging her tight. Paul did the same with Kady.

"Jack, Jack! He might've killed them. I think he killed them," Gwen sobbed into Jack's shoulder, her knees weak.

"It's okay, Gwen. We'll find them, I promise. We need to get you to a hospital," Jack whispered into Gwen's ear. Then he turned to Paul. "Paul, would you call an ambulance?"

Paul nodded and pulled out his phone.

Gwen didn't listen to his conversation with the person on the other end of the line. She pulled back from Jack and smiled weakly at him. "Go and find Ianto and Martha."

"No, I'm staying with you. They'll be alright," Jack replied.

"Jack, I'm fine. Go! Please," Gwen smiled and sniffed.

Jack looked at Gwen for a long moment. Her eyes were red but they blazing with determination and passion. Jack smiled at her, kissed her on the forehead and then ran.


	29. Reunited Souls

**Author's Note:** So, only a few more chapters to go. It's so sad! This is my baby, I don't want it to finish! Please review and maybe there will be a sequel. It isn't written and it may not be written but if anyone is interested, please tell me! I'd like to keep this going if you would. Anyway, please enjoy.

**DISCLAIMER:** I only own Kady and Paul.

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Chapter 29

Gwen sat on the hospital bed, staring at her bandaged foot. She'd had stitches in her head and a cast had been put around her foot and it had been two hours since she'd seen Jack. She hadn't heard anything from him or Ianto or Martha. Paul and Kady had been whisked off to another room and Gwen hadn't heard from them either.

Gwen was suddenly startled out of her thoughts by the door flying open. There, in the doorway, stood Jack, Ianto, Martha, Paul and Kady. Gwen's jaw dropped open, a smile lighting her lips.

"Are you kidding me?!" she shouted, leaping onto her one foot, nearly falling over and hopping into Ianto's arms. She hugged him so tight that he coughed. When she did pull back, she almost fell into Martha's arms.

When all the hugging was done, Jack hauled Gwen back onto her bed. She looked knackered but elated.

"What happened?" she asked.

Ianto and Martha shared a glance and then Ianto began, "The bomb that you left to me went off, but I was on my way out. Part of the building collapsed, but not the bit that I was in. Everyone was out, thanks to you evacuating the building," Ianto smiled.

"I was on the street outside. It didn't get me at all," Martha grinned.

"So, is John gone now?" Kady asked. She had a new cast on her arm after the damage to the old one.

"We think so," Jack told her, his hand on Gwen's shoulder, "but he may be back."

"He did say he wanted to get Jack back," Gwen agreed.

"What?" Jack asked, still in the dark about John's motives.

Kady and Gwen quickly explained about John's speech to them. At the end of it, Jack was pale with disgust.

Gwen glanced at his face. She had a nagging feeling that he was now convinced that it was all his fault. Gwen could understand that, even though she thought it was ridiculous.

Jack didn't look at anyone. "Excuse me." He ran from the room so fast that no one could object.

Kady glanced at Gwen, an eyebrow raised. "He doesn't honestly think that it's his fault that a psycho came after you and some other people, does he?" she asked.

Gwen nodded grimly. "I'm going to go and talk to him." She struggled onto her good foot and slid her hands into her crutches.

Ianto stepped forward, his mouth open to object, but Gwen cut him off. "I'm sorry, Ianto. But I have to talk to him." She hobbled from the room and down the corridor as fast as she could.

* * *

It didn't take long for Gwen to find Jack. He was stood further down the corridor, banging his head against the wall. His fists were clenched and he was punching the plaster as though his life depended on it. Gwen watched him for a second, her head on one side, contemplating Jack and his intense fury. In the end, she couldn't watch anymore.

"Jack?" she asked, her voice quiet and much sadder than she'd realised.

Jack's head jerked up and there was shock, anger and fear in his eyes.

"Jack?" Gwen asked again.

"I…" Jack had no words.

"Kady's right, you know," she said quietly. "It's not your fault that John came after us."

"I got you mixed up in all of this. It's my fault that John wants to hurt you," Jack replied harshly.

"Jack! Whether or not I was there, John would've wanted to come after you or someone close to you that was around at the time. If I hadn't gone to that car park, Ianto would've. And do you know what? I'm glad it was me and not him!" Gwen's smile was sad.

Jack looked at her and saw the passion in her eyes. She really did mean it. She would've given up her life for her friend.

"I'm sorry," Jack whispered and drew Gwen into a fierce hug. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry,"

"I'm not, Jack," Gwen whispered back, into his shoulder. "I'll never be sorry."


	30. We'll Keep Doing What We Do

Author's Note: It's the final chapter! I'm so sad!!! This is my Torchwood baby and now this and When All Else Fails is finished. I better get on and write some more! Please review, one last time. And thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did.

DISCLAIMER: I only own Kady and Paul.

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Chapter 30

Gwen, Jack, Paul, Kady, and Ianto all stood on the Plass, not far from the Water Tower. It was a warm, sunny summer day and all of them were enjoying the weather. Other than Jack, everyone was dressed in shorts and t-shirts. Jack, of course, was wearing his usual attire, covered by his RAF coat.

"So, how's it all going with you lot? What's it been – three days? – since we saw you?" Paul smiled warmly at the team.

"Something like that," Gwen smiled, shifting her grip on the crutches.

"Ah, the life that this team leads," Ianto sighed theatrically. "Jack tries to draw on Gwen's cast, Gwen thwacks him over the head with her crutches, Jack says sorry, Gwen's says that it's okay and then we all try to do some work. And then the whole thing starts again!"

Jack and Gwen looked sheepishly at the others.

"Don't try that look," Ianto ordered, containing his laughter.

Kady burst out laughing, spoiling the charade and soon the others joined her. It felt good, for all of them, to laugh. It had been a long time since any of them had felt that free. It still felt a little alien.

"How's your leg, Gwen?" Kady spluttered.

"Which one?" Gwen said dryly.

"Whichever."

Gwen looked down. Her broken ankle was cast and she was holding it off the ground. Her other leg, however, the one that she was putting all her weight on, was the leg that had originally been paralysed. Her shorts only went down to her mid calf and the group could see the methodically cut scars that stood out from the paleness of her skin.

"They're both fine, thanks," Gwen smiled. She looked a little gaunt from her recent experiences, and all of her scars stood out, but she looked happier than she had in a long time. Her left shoulder was a mass of melted looking scars but she was starting to build the muscle back. Her hair was finally back to its original length and she was starting to look healthy again. She smiled up at Jack.

Jack was beaming like a madman, happy as Larry to have his team together, despite them being very battered and bruised. He squeezed Gwen and Ianto tight and his grin widened.

"So, what are you going to do now, you two?" Gwen asked Kady and Paul.

"Kady wants to stay around for a bit, but at some point, we'll head abroad for a week or so," Paul smiled, obviously liking the idea.

"Sounds nice," Ianto sighed. "Wish we got holidays,"

Jack snorted.

"You don't get holidays?" Kady asked.

"And why would we want holidays?" Gwen asked, smiling innocently and looking pointedly at Jack.

Jack just laughed.

"So, what's for you now?" Paul finally asked.

"We'll carry on, we always do. We'll get John at some point. He'll pay for what he's done. But until then, we'll find something to fix, we'll save the world, or maybe just Cardiff. We'll keep doing what we do," Jack smiled, putting one arm over Gwen's shoulders and the other over Ianto's.


End file.
